Don't Leave Me Behind
by KaorinPaintsTheStars
Summary: A small collection of short stories based around Presea...sometimes with added sugary fluff. Different story each Chapter and rated for safety. Chapter 19 now up. Requests now taken...
1. Fragile Shield

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Okaaay, just a quick Authors note first to state that I don't own Tales of Symphonia, any of the characters, etc. I'm sure you know the drill by now. Secondly, thanks for taking a peek at this (my first fanfic) in the first place. Please read on and (hopefully) enjoy…oh, and feel free to comment – as long as it is constructive then it will be welcome. Story One begins below.

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But as long as I am making progress, that's the main thing, right? In reflection, I don't think anybody could have been justified in calling me naive, and yet there have been times where it has been easy, far too easy, to believe that change would have occurred overnight. Still, at least there have been some improvements, like the broadening of my vocabulary and emotional range.

Forgive me in beginning this somewhat speculatively. You may think that I am referring in some respects to my conflicted feelings towards Regal and Altessa. Those that I called my allies…and now my friends had surely earned my forgiveness on so many occasions and yet I was unable to give it until recently. So yes, I can allow you that assumption. But only in part. For there are so many things that I have yet to come to terms with; questions whose elusive answers, or issues I sought some degree of closure on at our journeys end. I guess you _could_ call me naïve then after all, for thinking that during those long warm nights among friends, or the cold ones I spent alone, these loose ends could have been plucked free, or tied into the thread of events responsible for me sitting here now.

I know now – well, to be true to myself I have known for a while, that I will never get back my lost time, that those precious years stolen from me will never be returned. I've been resigned to that fact for so long, you'd expect that I'd have come to terms with it by now. And, for the most part, I _have_ accepted it. But I can't ignore the nagging frustration in the back of my thoughts, the '_what ifs'_ that still cause me to grow restless if my mind isn't occupied, or to lose sleep at night. I don't know if I'll ever truly be able to come to terms with it. But I am trying. And I _am_ making progress.

I sit here musing, watching the catalyst of that change tend to our mounts before we eat an evening meal at another different, if familiar, inn in a different, if familiar, town.

I apologise if my feeling déjà vu makes me sound apathetic or shallow, as that was not the intent. It would still appear that even now, sometimes, I have difficulty expressing my feelings. Another thing that will come in time I guess, yet it's the one thing I really want to be able to do _now_. But I digress.

What I meant to say was that wherever I go, and whatever I do, I'm going there, and doing it with him. _Lloyd_. He is the constant in my life, the reason for that familiarity and the reason why I feel so content these days. And if my musings appear sentimental or frivolous, then I apologise. Its sometimes hard still to vocally express myself for long periods of time, and through these thoughts I can come to terms with these feelings so much more easily. So please excuse my self-indulgence.

I still can't believe myself sometimes for thinking myself lucky, if that's the right term to use. Thinking back, right back when I first began travelling with Lloyd's group, I can remember, through the haze that comes from time passing, and the…influence…of that Exsphere, I can remember the hesitance, and the scepticism that hid behind concerned eyes. Not that I hold it against them. What I was…and what I had, no, have done…well, my friends are my friends, and I cannot condemn their justified feelings therewith.

But Lloyd. You were never doubtful, nor critical. Right from the beginning to the end, and even when my actions were responsible for Colette's capture, you never once judged me, never once let me feel responsible. That meant so much to me, and if it was the only thing I had to repay you for I doubt I could achieve it in one lifetime.

Colette. Now that I think about it, I felt for certain that when the journey was over, Lloyd would be returning back to his village with her, Genis and maybe Raine. Then, once while we were travelling, I remember him saying about going on a trip to collect all the Exspheres, and for some reason it made me feel; fear, loss, concern.

I remember thinking, "Is he going on his own?" or "Is he going to go with Colette?" I wondered if I would ever see him again after our journey came to an end, and felt frustrated at not being able to understand what it was exactly that I was feeling. I kept hoping that others would want to join him on the trip, so that I would have an excuse to follow too. These emotions – I don't think I'd actually felt them before. Jealousy? Love? Complicated things. But when I finally began to understand them, it opened up new problems, especially later when I learned that these were the same things Genis had been feeling about me. That made me feel bad. Looking back, my lack of understanding must have seemed very cold. It was probably the reason why I never suspected that I actually loved Lloyd. Through Genis, I had only been the admired, not the admirer. I guess it never really registered with me.

Ah Genis, if I could relive those days with the benefit of hindsight then I would be more aware of your feelings, for I love you like the brother you were to me. So many things only become clear with the passage of time. Life is rarely fair.

Lloyd, you filled the void in my heart and life. Flanoir, Heimdall. Both were nights I will never forget, even though we have spent countless nights together since.

In Flanoir I saw snow fall for the first time with you. I mean, I had already seen snow before of course, while journeying there, but I had never seen it fall for that long. That night, you made me feel so confident, so strong and, you made me feel so hopeful. I felt like I had found a place, finally.

And Heimdall, when you said, "lets grow older together", and we made that promise, I've never cried so much before in my life. Relief, joy, comfort and content, funny how these things can make you respond with tears.

And you know, he never went back on that promise. Even when Mithos took my body, Lloyd came for me. He didn't leave me. I doubt I will ever be able to put into words how powerful the feelings I felt then were. There are many different ways you can love someone, and they all apply to the way I feel about Lloyd. Again, I must apologise for my maudlin expressions. Its merely my own platform for appreciating that who I am…and who I am becoming, I owe it all to Lloyd.


	2. The Silver Place

Presea leapt back to avoid the sweep of the Dragon Knight's axe, nearly losing her footing in the loose dusty sand of the Meltokio Coliseum arena. _That_ was close, she admitted to herself, rolling to one side to avoid the fireballs her opponent was belching out. It had been far too easy to become overconfident, the arena's protective magic preventing any combat-related fatalities, but was necessary to remind oneself that it wouldn't negate the _pain_ of a powerful blow

I must not compromise my performance thus far, she told herself, gritting her teeth as another ball of flame came _far_ too close for comfort, searing the nearby air. She sprinted forward and leapt towards her opponent, swinging her axe up in a wide arc. The Dragon Knight was ready though, and brought its own axe across to parry. Presea shuddered as the vibrations from the clash of weapons reverberated down her arms. Landing on the ground in a crouching position, Presea quickly swung her axe again – this time horizontally – at her opponent's legs, hoping to unbalance him. The Dragon seemed to anticipate that move too, and his wings lifted him sluggishly off the ground and out of the small girl's range.

Presea tried to focus on the Knight above her, but due to the blazing sun overhead, all she could make out was a very blurry silhouette. She felt her eyes narrow as she tried to block out the sounds of the audience, trying to analyse her opponent. Threat level: high. But I have come too far to lose now.

Suddenly, a large spurt of flame erupted from the mouth of the Dragon towards her location, like a burning river cutting through the sky. She skipped back almost _too_ late, the fire scorching the ground where she had stood just a moment ago. Quickly dusting off the smouldering ash that was singeing her clothes, Presea looked round for her assailant and saw the Knight descending opposite her.

_Now_, she thought, rising her axe above her head and breaking into a run. The Dragon raised its own axe again, obviously readying itself for the expected attack – but Presea had planned a different manoeuvre. Thrusting the tip of her axe head into the sand, she used her weapon as a vault and soared through the air, landing a kick on her opponent. The Dragon let out a low rumbling roar as it lost its balance and fell crashing to the floor – its axe dropping far from its reach.

Presea landed next to the grounded creature, which lay prone on its front. Am I victorious? She brushed aside a lock of hair, damp with sweat, and recovered her breath – making sure that she kept the unmoving creature in her line of sight. Have I succeeded in completing the advanced class?

The Knight stirred then with a very Dragon-like grunt and Presea emitted a not very Presea-like moan as the creature tried to rise to its feet. The energy levels of my foe have not yet been depleted it seems, she thought with a sigh.

The audience seemed delighted with the prospect of an extended fight, and resumed their cheering in earnest. Suddenly, a familiar voice cut loudly through the commotion.

"You can do it Presea! I know you can!"

Presea's head jerked almost automatically towards the location of the voice, and she saw Lloyd waving his arms at her far too enthusiastically – somehow he had reached the seats of the front row.

_Lloyd!_ He…came to watch me fight? To _watch_ me? Presea couldn't pinpoint what it was that she felt in that moment, but her cheeks seemed unnaturally warm. I must be getting fatigued, she thought, waving back at her friend. But if Lloyd is taking the time to watch me then I must be sure I win.

"I shall do my best," she shouted, and turned to face her opponent – a new determination running through her.

Unfortunately, the Dragon was already on its feet, swinging an enormously thick tail up towards her. Presea looked at the limb dumbly as it closed in, there not being enough time to do anything else.

"Stupid," she muttered weakly, mercifully blacking out as she slid down the far wall of the arena, tiny shards of broken masonry raining down on her unconscious form.


	3. The Limited Life of Snow

The setting sun was fighting a losing battle. The freezing evening air, daring to contradict the warm burning glow of the dusk sky had found support from timid clouds – fearful of casting their sheltering shadows on the small campsite. In the distance, past the seemingly endless snow coated plains and lazily rolling hills, the purple shadows of vast mountains stood mocking – the city of Flanoir safe in their rocky embrace.

Presea cast long, unfocused gazes about the quiet camp as she emerged from the sparse woodland nearest the four well weathered but sturdy tents. Approaching the crackling fire in the centre of the tents, she dropped her axe and the bag full of firewood she had been collecting, and set about throwing some of the larger pieces into the licking flames which devoured them greedily. Presea took a seat on a snow-cleared tree-stump beside the fire, and began slowly stoking it. Watching the disturbed ash spill into the air like dying fireflies, she felt unaccountably sad, like some tragic forgotten memory was tugging at her, desperate to be re-discovered. A melody, both familiar _and_ strange, came into her head and she began to sing along quietly with words that she had no recollection of ever knowing. Like a fading dream, the source of the song eluded her thoughts.

"Hey Zelos! Mr. Mysterious masked handsome warrior! Watch this…"

"Lloyd! I swear, if that hits me I-"

Presea jerked her head up in alarm at the sound of a muffled thud to see the familiar red-haired figure of Zelos standing outside of the tent he had just emerged from, the fragmented remains of a rather large snowball coating his face like confetti. The small girl stared curiously at Zelos for a second, and then followed his irate gaze towards the tip of the nearest hill. She hadn't been aware that anyone else was outside of their tents.

As if on cue, and with a loud _Whoop_, Lloyd emerged as if from what looked like the snow itself, bearing down the hill at great speed with Genis and Colette in tow. All three of them armed with a large cargo of snowballs, which they proceeded to throw with appalling accuracy towards the Tethe'alla Chosen. For his part, Zelos backed less than gracefully into his shared tent while muttering sulky curses and something about frostbite and beauty. With the loss of their shared target, the giggling trio turned on each other, their accuracy slightly improved.

Presea watched the three of them, framed in the sunset sky, feeling confused. It was a scene which was begging with her to laugh, or smile, and yet… She looked back down at the now roaring fire. What is this I'm feeling? She thought, her grip tightening on the axe she hadn't realised she'd picked back up. It…It almost…hurts. But there's no reason for it.

The undiscovered and unlabelled emotions slowly expanded into a frustrating mess, so she decided to check that the Rheairds were secure for the night ahead. It had been unfortunate that their Mana supply had been depleted so suddenly, and when Flanoir was so close too. Even Professor Raine hadn't been able to figure out what was wrong with them, though she had near made herself sick with cold from working on them. Feeling thoroughly dejected, Presea stood up and made to pick up her axe from the snowy ground when a voice called out to her.

"Oh, Presea. _Presea_!"

Presea looked up to see Colette attempting to run down the hill towards her. The young Chosen was obviously having some difficulty in moving through the snow coated terrain. She faltered this way and that before, with a dismayed squeak, tripping up and falling spread-eagled onto the ground.

Lloyd and Genis paused their battle to witness the scene and burst out laughing at the sight of their downed friend.

"That's our Colette" laughed Genis.

Lloyd joined in, "Haha, yeah Colette, now you're a real _snow angel_!"

Genis paused, scowling at his friend. "Lloyd! That was so…_lame_"

The brown haired warrior looked slightly hurt at the young Half-elf's remark. "You think? And I worked really hard on it too."

Genis raised his eyebrows, "_Worked_ on it? Lloyd! You sound as if you've been planning that for _days_!"

"Yeah, well…kinda." He started at his friend's disdainful glare, "B-but, not like you think. The idea came to me the other day, that's all.

Genis rolled his eyes. "And you've been waiting for an opportunity to use that line? Sometimes Lloyd…"

"Shut it Genis." Lloyd snapped, throwing the remains of the snowball that had been melting in his hand at the half-elf.

Presea watched the heated exchange of words and snow as Colette, laughing, picked herself up and resumed her journey.

"Presea!" She grinned upon reaching the campsite. "What'cha up to?"

Presea inclined her head towards the fire. "I was providing additional fuel for the campfire."

"Oh. You should have called someone to help you," said the Chosen, "you shouldn't go cutting down trees all by yourself."

"It is ok. It is what I am used to doing. Besides…" Presea paused, "…it is good to be able to provide a useful function outside of battle."

Colette said nothing for a second, "I understand. But, you should also remember to have fun too. Is very important."

Presea tilted her head to one side in thought "Fun? But there are still things that need to be done. It does not seem to be a productive way to spend your time."

"There's eight of us. So we can all help out when it comes down to it." Colette lectured good-naturedly as she sat down beside Presea, her back leaning on the stump. "Just remember to have fun too, okay?"

"I will try."

The two girls looked over to see Lloyd tripping up a snow concealed stone as he dodged Genis' snowball and falling face first into the snow. Genis' laughter echoed loudly in the quiet area as his friend scrabbled around, brushing snow from himself.

"Haha! Lloyd, you look ridiculous!"

Colette put a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. "Lloyd, are you okay?" she shouted, before turning back to Presea.

"He's so silly sometimes" she laughed.

Presea stole another glance of the scene on the hill before focusing her gaze at the unseen stars in the darkening sky.

"You do seem…ah, very fond of him though."

Colette smiled as she stretched her legs out in front of her, "Um, well yeah, I am. He's a very special person to me."

Presea didn't move, just remained sitting on the stump with her head looking upward. "Special…" The word was almost a soundless mutter, as if she was testing it out for the first time. "So…that means you love him. I understand." She realised her fist were clenched. She felt a little dizzy after speaking, and couldn't understand why it was that she didn't really want to hear an answer.

Colette shifted with a start, and Presea broke off contact with the sky to look over at her blushing companion. "Forgive me." She said. "I did not mean to be so frank."

The young Chosen waved a hand dismissively. "N-no, it's not that. I'm not offended. But…but, I'm not sure what you mean."

Presea frowned and replayed the conversation in her head. Had she misunderstood again?

"You…love him. Yes?"

Colette stared at her winter boots, looking very awkward. "Well…um, yes – but its not like you think…I think. She frowned, disconcerted.

Presea smiled despite herself. "I think I'm a little confused. You say you love Lloyd, but not in the way I…think? I do not understand that. So…you are saying that there are other ways?"

Colette nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. Many. You may be thinking of loving someone in a romantic way, but there are other ways you can love somebody. Friends, family, they all require different kinds of love."

Presea looked at the ground, absently picking off dead bark from the stump. "I see. This is complicated."

Colette turned around to face the small girl. "It can be, yeah. But, um, what we need really is an example. So…lets say Lloyd then, as we were talking about him anyway."

Presea felt something skip inside her and she nearly gasped. What was that?

"Ok." She said, returning her companions gaze as if the connection would open up doors within her confused mind.

"Umm…well then first, do you trust him?" Colette asked. "Do you believe in him, do you enjoy being in his company, do you value his comments?" She waved a hand in gesture. "Things like that."

"Well…" Presea paused, and scuffed the snow with her boots. Her face suddenly seemed warm, and her stomach felt weird. She closed her eyes, steadying herself; "…He is very pleasant towards me when you consider…ah… the things I have done. I do trust him and I value his comments approximately 80 of the time." She looked at the young Chosen. "Do those answers suffice?"

Colette was staring up at the dark blue sky, framed in the firelight. "Almost. What about if you think of not travelling with him anymore. Or if come tomorrow, you were no longer in his company."

Presea felt her face burning as she tried to think of an answer and wondered if it showed. What was causing it? She suddenly felt very uncomfortable and wanted to change the subject of conversation but for some reason something at the back of her mind was compelling her to answer it.

"This is difficult…but…I…I do not see there being a positive aspect to it. But I would suggest that the same could be said of most of our current companions."

"Of course!" Exclaimed Colette, looking back at Presea and laughing. "I didn't just mean Lloyd silly, if you feel that way towards someone, there's usually some degree of love or a bond between you. It happens if you travel with someone for long periods of time, or so the professor says."

Presea frowned. Colette had obviously discussed similar matters with Professor Raine. She couldn't understand why that bothered her.

"And that's…that is the way that you love Lloyd?"

Colette nodded. "I've known Lloyd – and Genis – since I was really young. I've never really thought about it, but I don't think I could see him in any other way than as a friend. A really _special_ friend."

Presea felt light headed again and distracted herself from the odd feeling in her stomach by standing up and stretching. "I think I understand now. Thank you Colette."

Colette smiled as she also rose. "Not a problem. Say, looks like Lloyd and Genis are starting to build a snowman. Let's go help."

Presea looked at the two friends rolling a large ball of snow across the peak of the hill. The wind had picked up now, and she was starting the feel the cold somewhat. But there was something else too.

"I…thank you for the invitation to participate, but I would like to go and confirm that the Rheairds are safely secured first."

"Okay" said Colette, grinning. "But don't be too long or else it'll already have been built" With that she dashed off to join Lloyd and Genis.

Presea watched her go, leaving a trail of footprints, like writing upon a canvas of snow. She felt mentally exhausted but she went over the conversation again in her head, finding that it cheered her, and wondering what aspect of it made her so happy.

This is complicated, she thought, heading away from the camp.

The Rheairds lay within the sheltering overhang of the woods; large spreads of wind licked cloth tethered over them to the ground. They were, as she had expected, just as secure as when she had previously checked. But still it felt good to be doing something and not just thinking.

Building a snowman would be doing something tooshe told herself as she walked the perimeter of the vessels. But something didn't seem right about that idea.

Presea paused after checking the last Rheaird and watched the strengthening breeze torment the branches of the fir trees, causing them to disperse their snowy cargo onto the ground below. There was something about the conversation with Colette that had caused a brief moment of…panic, was it? She looked up at the glistening sliver of moon, standing high and proud, victorious in chasing the sun down.

What is wrong with me? She thought, closing her eyes. When Colette had suggested an example for the subject of our discussion, I had already been thinking of Lloyd. But not being in his company anymore? I hadn't thought of that.

Presea opened her eyes suddenly, feeling that same sensation of alarm. What will happen when the journey is over? And why is it bothering me so much? Lloyd…

"Does the company of your companions offend you so much that you have to take frequent trips away from the camp?"

The gently chiding voice took Presea by surprise; she glanced in its direction to see Professor Raine stood beside the closest Rheaird, two steaming mugs in hand. Presea shook her head. "It is not that," she said, "I wanted to make sure our transport was secure for the night."

"Nonsense" Raine walked up to Presea and handed over one of the mugs, "Coffee. You know as well as I that you have been checking the Rhiards far more than necessary."

Presea took the proffered mug, noting how the warmth from it flowed into her through her hands. She hadn't realised she was so cold. "Thank you. It seemed appropriate to take precautions that our only transport was secure."

Raine raised an eyebrow "but every _twenty_ minutes?"

Presea met the Professor's eyes; "You exaggerate. I verified that they were secure every _thirty_ minutes. Precisely."

The half-elf smiled, "Oh Presea, if only Lloyd shared your ardour for work." She took a sip of the coffee. "But you know, you'll bring yourself into ill health if you keep it up."

"I understand, but…" the pink haired girl paused, "No. Nevermind. Thank you for your concern Raine, I shall note your advice."

The wind had certainly picked up now, blowing small drifts of unsettled snow around the billowing canvases on the Rhiards. Raine nodded,

"Good, then come back to the camp and get yourself warmed up. The Rhiards look like they will be fine for tonight."

The smoke, tinted orange from the glow of the fire contrasted awkwardly with the deep blue of the near twilight sky. The fire itself, responsible for the elongated shadows of every object nearby crackled and spluttered in protest against the aggressive wind. Presea and Raine took a seat on another log close to the conflagration. In the distance, Lloyd, Genis and Colette were still applying layers of snow to the already large base of the planned snowman.

"They have made little progress," noted Presea.

Raine looked over. "Oh, the snowman. No…it will take some time yet for that to be completed. I know from experience."

"I…I do not understand the purpose of building a…snowman."

The half-elf looked at her companion, "What do you mean?"

"It is a fruitless activity," said Presea; "The time spent making it is by far greater than the estimated lifespan of the finished structure. It is…not an economic way to spend your time." Like life, she thought, we spend so much time making something that lasts as long as we do. Our life spans must seem as short as the snowman when the passage of time is considered.

"I see…" Raine paused, watching Lloyd's group finish rolling the base of the snowman. "But don't you think its important to do something entertaining every now and then, no matter how long the finished result lasts?"

"Colette said something similar." Presea took a sip from the cooling mug. "She invited me to help in its construction."

"And why didn't you?"

Presea watched the trio push the planned snowman head back and forth across the hill until it was an obscene size. "I have had no experience in the construction of snowmen. I would only be a burden."

The Professor tutted, "It's the participation that counts Presea. You can only acquire experience in something if you attempt to do it."

"In these conditions, participating will mean about a 50 chance of catching a chill or other cold related illness."

Raine laughed into her mug, "Well, at least that leaves a 50 chance that you won't. Honestly Presea, you sound as though you're making excuses."

"Ah…" Presea felt that inexplicable heat rise again in her cheeks. "…I am not providing an excuse. Catching a chill would not be beneficial for travelling and combat." Was that really all though, she asked herself.

Raine shrugged, smiling to herself. "As you say."

Lloyd had positioned himself precariously on the edge of the snowman base, balancing as Colette and Genis passed up the mound for the head.

"A bit higher Genis! Can't you reach up any more than that?"

"I'm on tip-toes already! You know Lloyd, you could always _try_ moving yourself."

"Hey! I've got an idea" Colette's voice could barely be heard over the bickering.

Even in the gloomy twilight moonshine, the shimmering from her expanded wings contested the campfire for brightness. Carrying herself slowly upwards, Colette held the snowball head while Genis supported it from underneath. Stretching outwards, Lloyd managed to grasp the head well enough to be able to roll it backward into position on the base. However, as he moved towards the edge of the base, the snow weakened and Lloyd's foot slipped through. With a shout of dismay he fell backwards, accidentally dislodging the snowman's head in his descent. Colette's squeak of alarm could be heard as the head rolled forwards onto her, sending her crashing to the snowy floor. By the sound of the laughing, only Genis had emerged unscathed.

"Haha, Lloyd what _were_ you doing? That was pathetic."

"Ha ha" The young swordsman's laugh dripped with sarcasm. "How about just giving me a hand up?"

Raine smiled as Genis disappeared behind the snowman's base to give his friend a hand. "Genis…still so naïve."

The young half-elf's voice could be heard from the hill, "Ah! No, Lloyd don't. No!" A blur of movement signalled his flight as Genis emerged over the peak, his legs moving slightly too fast for the rest of him to keep up with. Behind him, Lloyd gave pursuit, a large snowball in hand and hurling _almost_ friendly insults at his friend.

"Raine! Presea! Help- " Genis' plea was cut off as the snowball flew with unnerving accuracy into the back of his head. With a cry, the half-elf fell face first into the snow, tumbling down the remainder of the hill.

Lloyd continued the hunt, pausing where a groggy Genis was trying to get to his feet, and pushed more snow over his friend. "No mercy!" he shouted out with youthful glee.

Presea found herself smiling at the scene, and at Lloyd's seemingly boundless energy and good spirits.

"Kids…" Remarked Raine cheerfully, studying Presea's face. "That's a rare sight," she added.

"Ah…the scene amused me," replied Presea, staring down into her empty mug.

"Yes…It's one of Lloyds many finer points. Making people laugh and smile." She spoke the last part almost as an afterthought.

"Yes." Presea mumbled, feeling like she'd had this conversation before.

Colette had emerged from the snow, and was flying down at a low height, snowballs in either hand, towards Lloyd.

"Here it comes," she giggled, throwing them at her friend. Lloyd backed off, but was tripped up by a snow covered Genis, eager for revenge.

Raine laughed. "Ouch, I bet that hurt." She took a sidelong glance at Presea. "He looks a bit outnumbered out there don't you think? Maybe he could use a hand." The half-elf noted Presea's blush.

"No…it would be inappropriate for me to intervene. They are all…_close_ friends. I…am not." Just saying the words made her feel downcast, but they were true after all. The Professor didn't seem to respond, merely looking on at the scene.

"We are all friends," she remarked. "As travelling companions, we all have strong bonds to each other. We need to." Raine nodded to the snowball fight. "I'm sure you would be most welcome."

"Friends..." Presea tried the word out, liking its sound. She thought back to her earlier conversation with Colette. _'Or if come tomorrow, you were no longer in his company?_'

"Maybe…maybe I should offer my services," she said, putting down her mug. "My presence will at least create equal numbers, if nothing else."

"Exactly." Raine smiled, then looked serious. "You know Presea, those three…whenever I see them together, I don't really see them as close friends – more like a family, you know?"

Presea frowned, "a family?" The concept seemed unusual.

The Professor nodded; "Yes. Haven't you noticed? Lloyd and Genis always seem like protective brothers to Colette, who seems to enjoy being in the sisterly role. They share a love like a family of siblings would."

Brothers and sister? Presea was feeling that giddy warmth again, and she couldn't decide if she liked it or not. What _was _it? She wondered. It felt almost like relief, but also like …nervousness.

"I…why are you telling me this?" She asked.

Raine waved a dismissive hand. "No reason. Just thought you'd like to know. Sometimes we adults like to ramble and dress it up as advice."

Presea looked down at her feet. "I…forgive me, everything seems complicated at present."

Raine nodded sympathetically, "Yes, life can be that way sometimes."

The small girl tried a smile. "Thank you. I shall go and give support to Lloyd in combat." She stood up and started walking over to the site of battle before pausing and looking back.

"Raine, you…you will not mention this to anyone will you?" She stood there awkwardly, wondering why she wanted the conversation a kept secret, and feeling very childish.

The half-elf nodded with an encouraging smile. "You have my word Presea, now go enjoy yourself."

"Thank you again."

Presea turned and made her way over to Lloyd, Genis and Colette, stopping only to roll a rather large snowball.

Raine laughed quietly to herself at its size. "Oh dear. That's going to hurt."

Reaching the peak of the hill without being detected, Presea hurled the snowball, finding Genis with very little effort. It hit the young half-elf in the back, sending him tumbling forwards for the second time that night.

Lloyd gaped as he picked himself off the ground. "Woah, overkill! Way to go Presea!"

Presea nodded, "The odds looked against you, I thought you could do with some support."

Colette laughed, "Hooray, a team battle!"

Lloyd leapt to his feet, grinning widely. "All right! Presea, you're _so_ on my side!"

Presea blushed and disguised it by ducking down to roll up another snowball. For some reason things were starting to seem somewhat less complicated. "Affirmative."

Genis groaned from his floored position, "No fair Lloyd!"

Raine watched the four companions launching snowballs at each other while she finished her coffee. Setting her mug down to the ground, she closed her eyes. "Oh Lloyd, don't take too long to notice how she feels."

The early morning sun was surprisingly warming given the climate, as Regal stepped out of his shared tent into the busy campsite.

"Good morning," he said, watching Sheena and Raine carrying supplies over towards the Rheairds. "I trust we are moving out then?"

"We are at some point, only it's going to be a while yet," replied the Professor, shifting the weight of a backpack onto her other shoulder. "It's only Sheena, Zelos and myself who are packing up currently.

Regal looked perplexed. "Why? Are Lloyd and the others performing some other task?"

"Huh," Sheena sighed, jerking a thumb behind her, "No, those guys are being oh so useful over there."

Regal looked behind him to see Lloyd, Genis, Colette and Presea sat shivering and sneezing around the receding flames of the campfire, wrapped in blankets and each holding a mug of coffee. He walked over to them, the disapproval on his face as clear as the early morning air.

"Hmph. I am disappointed. You should not be shirking off your duties simply because you were irresponsible with regards to your own health."

Lloyd choked on his drink. "Why are you only addressing _me_?" he demanded, then sneezed. "Anyway, Presea said there was only a 50 chance of catching a cold."

Presea looked into her mug to avoid all the eyes that were now turned on her. "Approximately," she said at last, and then smiled. "Maybe I miscalculated."


	4. Flanoir

Presea paced the bedroom restlessly, pausing occasionally only to lie on the soft, comfortable bed and attempt sleep. The Flanoir inn had seemed quiet all evening and, into nightfall, the grounds around the establishment had taken on a haunting, almost lonely, quality. The absence of half of her group, who was escorting a doctor to Altessa's house in an effort to save the old Dwarf, didn't help matters.

Altessa. Presea sat on the bed, thinking about the injured man. Was he going to survive, or would the doctor get there too late? Would he even be able to do anything for the Dwarf if he _did_ get there in time? Should she even be concerned? After all, she hadn't forgiven him for what he had done, and yet…

Her fractured thoughts trailed off as the wind picked up outside, landing blows on the resolute window. Looking across through it outside, Presea noticed something falling from the sky. Small flakes of snow that danced on the breeze in their descent. The small girl walked slowly up to the window, placing a hand on the cool glass and staring in awe at the sight. She had never seen snow fall before, only the results of it coating the ground. She had a sudden feeling, a feral urge to go outside to watch the snow come to earth. To _feel_ each flake as it fell.

Throwing her travelling clothes on in an uncharacteristically hasty manner, Presea grabbed the winter coat she had bought earlier in the town and, wrapping it tight around herself, darted from her room into the hallway of the inn. She had thought twice about equipping her gauntlets to protect her from the cold, but decided against it. She wanted to feel the snowflakes on her skin.

In the hallway she paused, staring up the corridor to the door at the end. Lloyd would be in his room, most probably, unless he had already gone outside too. Presea moved towards the stairs leading down to the foyer, then paused, looking back at the door. Alone, watching the snowflakes fall suddenly seemed like a lonely prospect.

Alone. I…I don't want to be alone tonight, she thought, biting her lip as she stared at Lloyd's door.

Reasons seemed to be flying through her head: on why she should inquire if Lloyd would like to see the snow, or reasons why it would be a waste of time to ask. She felt flustered, not at the prospect, but at her own reasoning. I am being absurd, she told herself. If this were any of my other companions I would not be so indecisive. And anyway, why did I presume to ask Lloyd?

Presea perched herself on the top step, watching lamp lights flicker in the brackets, leading the way downstairs. The sounds of a fireplace and scents of late night food preparation came lazily upstairs as she tried to work out what to do. I am being unusually hesitant, she admonished herself as she watched the shadows downstairs flicker and enlarge. Someone must be preparing to retire for the night, thought Presea, and the aspect of people ascending the stairs motivated her somewhat. Getting to her feet, she made the decision to at least ask.

Standing in front of Lloyd's door, her hand closed into a fist ready to knock, Presea found herself taking a deep breath. Here I go, she thought.

The _thump-thump_ sounded distant for some reason, as if she was an observer, watching somebody else far away knocking instead. She felt that giddiness again, like that night when Lloyd, Colette, Genis and herself had the snowball fight. Like nervousness.

The silence remained on the other side of the door for a moment, before a voice called, "Who is it? Come on in."

Presea paused for a second, her hand on the door handle, before opening it with more resolve than she felt. Entering the room, she saw Lloyd leaning by a window, peering out at the lamp-lit town beyond. He looked round as she stood, awkwardly, in the doorway.

Presea managed a small smile. "It is me."

Lloyd returned the smile with genuine warmth as he walked over and sat on the untouched bed. "This is unusual. What's up?"

"I was…um…I," Her tongue seemed to be working faster than her brain. Presea stared down at her feet briefly to shut herself up. What is _wrong_ with me? She thought, looking back up at Lloyd. "Um…would you like to go see the snow?"

Lloyd leapt off the bed with a joyful laugh. "Sure. I was thinking about taking a walk. Some sights are better shared, right?"

Presea nodded, feeling – among other things – relief. "Agreed."

The chill night air greeted Lloyd and Presea as they departed from the shelter of the inn into the wide street outside, the wind whipping at their clothes. Still, Flanoir seemed pretty busy given the hour; it seemed that even at night there were still market stalls open and shops with lights in the windows. Tourists and citizens alike were going about their business; all seemingly unaware or apathetic to both the night sky decked in its dark blue elegance and the deteriorating weather. The light shower of snow that had roused Presea's curiosity had now increased into a heavy constant downfall, which began to stick to the ground and build up in layers.

"Wow!" Lloyd exclaimed, looking around in delight. "I've never seen this much snow before."

Presea glanced from the snow-coated rooftops opposite to up at the night sky. She was amazed to find that no matter how hard she concentrated she couldn't see the falling flakes until they were practically on top of her. It was like they fell from the moon and stars themselves. They are beautiful, she thought, glad now that she was sharing the experience. She looked over at Lloyd. "I have…hardly ever seen snow, so…it feels strange."

Lloyd stopped mid-step, near one of the benches fronting the tree line bordering the inn, and gazed down at his companion. "Really?"

Presea didn't say anything for a second, but must've looked downhearted, as Lloyd smiled reassuringly and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Well…you could've fooled me – you looked a pro during that snowball fight the other day."

She stared at the ground to hide the rising blush. Her whole body was warm from on account of the winter coat she wore, but her shoulder where Lloyd had placed his hand practically burned.

"No…not really," she replied. "My memories from the time when my soul was missing are...not very clear. And, also, I've never been anywhere besides Ozette and Meltokio."

Lloyd brushed a layer of snow from the bench. "…I see," he said after a moments thought. "I understand. I'm the same way. Before all this happened. I'd hardly ever left Iselia."

The small girl looked at the snow-glazed branches of the conifers standing like imposing guards on either side of the bench and nodded, a warm sensation flowing through her despite the chilly northern wind. He understands, she thought. He's the same way…

"Hey Presea," Lloyd's voice interrupted her thoughts as he sat down on the bench. "Come take a seat. The trees seem to be sheltering the bench from the wind."

"Yes, that would be sensible." Presea approached the secluded bench and dropped down onto it, wondering why she made such an effort to keep a respectful distance from Lloyd.

The pair sat silently watching the lights in the buildings opposite flicker on and off and the whisper of the wind in the trees behind them drowning out distant conversations. The snow was still cascading down, making visible the currents of wind in the air as they swirled to the ground. Presea reached forward with her hand, and let a snowflake fall onto her palm.

"Snow melts away so quickly," she said, almost to herself, as she watched it.

"Yeah," agreed Lloyd, turning his attention to the dissolving snowflake in her hand. "It's…um, basically just ice."

Presea looked across at her companion. "I always thought of it as something that remained for a long, long time. But instead, it is fleeting." It's beautiful too, she thought, after a moments thought. Why do I always find the negative side to everything?

Lloyd met her gaze. "Yeah. When you talk about it that way, it's kind of sad."

Presea felt something trickle from her palm and looked down to see the remains of the snowflake drip down onto the ground.

"But that's the way things are," she said. "Trees, grass, and flowers all eventually wilt away. People are no different."

Lloyd looked down at the trail of his footprints leading to the bench. Already the snow was covering them up, the wind distributing fresh flakes across the ground.

"All life eventually dies. And so snow disappears as well." He said quietly, then sighed. "Pretty depressing when you consider it, huh?"

Presea felt her cheeks heat up, but the sensation was different this time. Before, it was when she had been complimented, or felt…embarrassed, was it? This time though, it felt like shame. This was not what Lloyd probably had in mind when he agreed to come look at the snow.

"I am sorry," she said, leaning forward to stare at the ground. "I did not mean to lower the mood."

"Hey, don't worry about it." Lloyd shifted position on the bench so he was facing the small girl. "It's good to talk about things if they're bothering you, right?"

"You _are _right." Presea agreed. "I…there is something I have found myself thinking about. Talking with you about the snow has…reminded me of it. Altessa, he…he will not disappear yet…right?"

Lloyd made a sound in his throat, "Presea…"

It sounded as though he was going to give some words of comfort. Presea sped up her speech, desperate to pour forth all her worries before he could intervene.

"I...I still haven't forgiven him. And yet, if he were to pass away, I..."

"It'll turn out okay," Lloyd's voice was full of gentle confidence as he interrupted. It almost sounded offhand, as if he wasn't being all that serious about it. Presea looked up sharply, feeling her frustration spill into anger. She was confused, if it was anyone else but Lloyd…_But_ Lloyd.

"That is not absolute," she snapped. "I wish you wouldn't say things like that so casually."

"If it _was_ absolute, I wouldn't say, 'It'll turn out okay,' retorted Lloyd, stung at her sudden ferocity.

"What do you mean?" Presea asked, irritated. "Those kinds of words are meant for when we feel that there is no need to worry."

"There's nothing in this world that's absolute," replied Lloyd, his tone challenging. "And I think that's precisely why we say things like that to ourselves. Stuff like, 'I know I can do it!' 'I know it'll be okay!'"

Presea looked down at her feet where the falling snow had begun to coat her boots. "Perhaps so," she whispered. The wind had picked up; lifting in swirls the snow that had yet to stick to the ground. She wrapped her arms around herself, pressing the winter coat closer in an effort to keep warm.

The pair sat quietly on the bench for a few minutes, lost in thoughts. Presea looked glumly up at the white coated tree branches hanging above, feeling more forlorn than she ever had done recently. This hadn't gone too well, she thought, feeling ashamed at her outburst.

"I…I'm sorry. Please forgive my rashness. I don't know why…I-"

"Hey, don't worry about it." Lloyd voice was comforting. "I'm sorry too – I didn't mean to offend you."

Presea smiled a little, looking up at her companion. "No, you didn't offend. It's just that…I don't know how to feel about this. I don't feel certain of anything, and to hear someone sound so positive and certain about well, everything really, it…" she hugged her coat closer again, "it just confuses me more. Should I be thinking the same way you do?"

Lloyd shook his head, "No Presea, you have to find out how you really feel yourself – from the heart." He smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry – you'll get there in time."

"I know. I know you're right, but…I…I want to get there now." She realised how child-like her voice sounded and dropped her hands down on her lap. "I'm tired of not knowing how to feel. Tired of being unable to be positive," she met his eyes, "I wish I was more like you."

Lloyd blushed, rubbing the back of his head. "Ah…haha…I wouldn't wish for that."

Presea cocked her head to one side in curiosity. Why is he acting like that? Oh, did I…I inadvertently complimented him?

"Forgive me if I made you uncomfortable," she said, "The compliment was not intentional. Well…" she blinked, colouring. "…That is to say, um, I didn't mean it to come out that way…but if you would like to take it as a compliment then that would be…nice."

Lloyd laughed again, embarrassment and nervousness mingling in with the sound. "Consider it taken," he said, smiling as he watched the descending snowflake. "But you know, you're great as yourself Presea. You shouldn't change."

She looked away, abashed and joined Lloyd in watching the falling snow, but her gaze kept falling back on him no matter how she occupied her mind. Presea found she just couldn't stop her gaze from returning to him, and in doing so, noticed that he seemed to be having similar difficulties. What is this? She wondered, feeling her stomach twist and jump.

Lloyd broke the silence with an embarrassed cough, "Y'know though, going back to what we were saying before. Honestly, I don't know if Altessa will be all right. The only thing I can do is believe in Altessa's will to live."

Presea nodded, forcing herself to look at the trees, or the buildings, or anywhere else…"Believe…" It didn't seem that hard to do at the moment.

"Yeah. And that's why I say, 'It'll be okay.' I'm going to keep saying it and keep believing it. Human will is a powerful thing. ...I'm gonna use that power to keep Altessa in this world."

"It must be that power of will that makes you so strong." Presea rubbed her freezing hands together, trying to return some feeling in them.

Lloyd looked at a loss for words again, "Uh…I dunno about that..."

"No…I was just thinking," she added hastily. "When I look at you, the things I thought were completely hopeless feel as though they may actually be easy to overcome."

Lloyd looked surprised, "Really? Ah...I'm simple-minded, so I don't think too hard about things. I just figure it'll work out somehow as long as I don't give up."

"That is an admirable philosophy." Presea shivered as the cold finally penetrated her coat.

"Are you okay there Presea? You look a little chilly."

"Uh…no, I am fine," she broke off as Lloyd leant forward suddenly, grabbing her hands, "Lloyd! What are you-"

"Presea! You're freezing," Lloyd's voice was soft with concern. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I..ah…forgive me, I did not want to end our conversation abruptly." Presea's eyes were wide open with embarrassment as Lloyd began rubbing her hands rapidly, trying to warm them. "You…uh, you don't have to do that you know. I…I don't often feel comfortable discussing my own feelings but for some reason you…" her eyes once again found his, "…you always seem to make me feel at ease. I can always talk to you Lloyd, and that…means a lot."

She had surprised herself with that initial outburst, and once she had started it was like she couldn't stop – such a surge of emotion that had risen to the surface of her mind. Lloyd had stopped rubbing her hands now, but Presea noticed he had still kept them wrapped in his own.

"Presea…" he looked as though he was going to continue, and Presea found herself hanging on the word for what felt like an eternity until his nervous laughter brought her back to her senses. "You dork! You don't have to risk your own health just to talk to me – you only have to say."

"I know…" Presea suddenly felt childish, "I just do not want to feel like a burden, and our conversation tonight seemed to develop naturally. I just…didn't want it to end." She looked past Lloyd at the empty street, only a few lamps down it now keeping the darkness at bay. The snowfall had slowed now, with only the occasional flakes descending.

Lloyd smiled, "Yeah…I know what you mean, this was a lot of fun. And it helps to get things off your chest every now and then, so it was useful too." He gave her hands a quick squeeze before slowly – _slowly_ – releasing them, "But remember, you only have to say the word if you want to talk, okay? I'll be there. Promise."

_Promise_. Presea smiled, "Affirmative. Please let me know if you ever need to converse too. I will be there also. Promise."

Lloyd laughed, but with genuine good spirits now carrying his voice rather than nervousness. "It's a deal then, so if you're ready, lets go back to the inn before we both die of cold."

"Do you think you can win against Mithos?" The question had been tugging at Presea's mind for a while since the conversation on the bench. Now, as they rounded the corner of the street and entered the grounds of the inn, she felt like she wanted to voice it before the night ended.

Lloyd was silent for a second in thought, "...Yeah. I'm going to win. I won't be able to fight him unless I have that mindset."

Presea nodded, that seemed to make sense. "Is it because you were friends with him for a little while?"

"I'm not sure," Lloyd shrugged. "Maybe. But I can't sympathise with him."

Presea paused to consider this, looking at the few lights left on in the inn. "Yes, he has done many terrible things--to humans, elves, and to the land itself."

"And to half-elves," added Lloyd, halting at the front door. "He took his own pain and forced it on everyone around him, and got the entire half-elf race caught up in the process."

"Yes. That's true."

As he opened the front door slightly, Lloyd sighed. "The fact is that humans and elves have both done bad things. And I'm sure that Mithos tolerated it as long as he could. But that's only an excuse for all the things he's done."

Presea's whisper seemed to carry itself through the quiet to every corner of the front garden. "Lloyd, you will win."

Lloyd stopped in the doorway, "Huh?"

Presea smiled, feeling a joy and confidence that wasn't there earlier that day. "That is how I feel after talking to you. If your will and Mithos' will were to collide, I'm certain that yours will overcome his, because you are not denying your true self."

Lloyd smiled warmly at Presea, making something inside her jump. "...Thanks. Just hearing you say that gives me the courage to take on Cruxis tomorrow."

She jerked her head up so her gaze met Lloyd's. I did not think we had come so far already, the small girl thought. "Tomorrow?"

"Yup." Lloyd sighed, "After we make sure Altessa's okay, I'm going to put an end to all of this."

This is it then, thought Presea; our journey will soon be over. She thought back to the conversation she had with Colette during the camp the other night. "You are going to defeat Mithos and unite the worlds."

"Yeah," said Lloyd. "That's the only way."

"Lloyd. I'm sure everything will be okay. I know...you can win." Presea knew she was confidant of that, but not of what would happen afterwards. She looked at the young man before her and finally something began to fall into place. Lloyd, she thought, I don't know what I'm going to do after this. I'm scared.

"Hey, you're being positive." Lloyd's cheerful voice pierced her thoughts, oblivious. Presea nodded, and tried a smile.

"Yes. I will lend you the power of _my_ will as well."

A wide grin spread across Lloyd's face, "...Okay! I'll make good use of it!"

They had entered the inn quietly, but it transpired that they needn't have bothered, for the owner and several other guests were still up, raucous shouting and similar merriment spilled from the parlour, just visible from the foyer.

As Presea closed the door behind them, the owner poked his head round the parlour doorway, his face streaked red from, she presumed, large quantities of wine or ale.

"Ah young master…hmm, what was it now?" He bellowed in greeting.

"Irving," answered Lloyd jovially. "Lloyd Irving."

"Master _Irving_! That's the one," the owner laughed. "I never forget a face, me, but I sometimes forget a name. What brings you venturing out so late if I may be so bold as to ask? For it looks mighty brisk out there."

"Ah, we were just taking a walk to see the snow," Lloyd indicated Presea, "We haven't seen it fall that often."

The owner's eyes lit up with mischief on seeing Presea. "Oh ho ho, a nice romantic stroll eh?" He winked at Lloyd, "Say no more young master, say no more."

"What?" spluttered Lloyd, reddening. "No…no it wasn't like that at all. Right Presea?"

Presea could feel the heat rise in her cheeks as both Lloyd's and the owner's eyes fell on her.

"Affirmative," her voice barely more than a mumble. "I must inform you that you are mistaken in your assumption sir."

"Yeah, _very_ much mistaken," Lloyd expanded. Presea looked at him.

The owner laughed, scratching his balding head. "Oh really? Haha, that's a shame. Never mind, anyway I'm in an especially jolly mood tonight. Fancy joining us all in here for a little drink?"

A chorus of drunken cheers and the sound of many hands banging their approval on a table supported the request.

"Ah, I may have to pass this time," Lloyd said, rubbing the back of his head. "I'd be in so much trouble if my companions found out. Especially if they weren't there to enjoy it themselves," he added for humorous effect.

It wasn't wasted on the owner, who laughed uproariously. "Fair enough master Irving," he said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes, "The offer still stands though should you ever pass by in the future. You have a good night now," he shouted as he lurched back into the foyer.

Silence descended in the foyer as the pair approached the stairs, both looking awkward. Lloyd's laugh trembled slightly with embarrassment. "Some people, eh?"

"Yes," Presea paused, looking at Lloyd. "Though it was unnecessary to refute his comment so strongly." For some reason his denial, despite being true, had hurt her somewhat.

Lloyd's head shot down sharply as he looked at Presea. "What, really? Um…"

"Ah…I did not mean it like that," she added hastily, colouring. "I just meant to inform you that in doing so, it made it appear as though he…had struck a nerve." Presea selected a term she had heard Zelos use once, and hoped it was the right one.

"Yeah…maybe you're right." Lloyd exhaled deeply, "Whew, guess it's been a long night huh? I'm drained."

"Agreed. Due to the late hour, it is unlikely we will have fully recharged our energies by the morning."

Lloyd had started up the stairs, "Guess the Professor will have something to say about that when she gets back with the others. I wonder what Colette and Genis got up to tonight?"

He turned around as they reached the top, "Well, time for bed then."

"Yes…" agreed Presea, "Oh, before you go…I, I have something to give to you."

"Really?" Lloyd looked intrigued. "What is it?"

"It is…not much, but please, wait here while I retrieve it."

"Sure, will do."

Presea hurried quietly to her room and, leaving the door open, grabbed the item in question before returning to her companion outside. She handed it over with both arms outstretched, head bowed.

Lloyd took the item and studied it; "This is really nice. Is it a charm?"

Presea nodded, "Yes. I had some sacred wood left over from before and…um, well…I wanted to make you something."

Lloyd paused, the cord of the charm wrapped in his fingers. "Woah, wait a sec. Did _you_ carve this, Presea?"

The small girl nodded, "Yes. It is an Ozette Mountain Hare. It is said to provide protection and good fortune."

Lloyd held it close as he examined it. "It's so detailed. Wow! Presea, it's amazing – thank you."

She fidgeted, "It was no trouble. Just a symbol of my…gratitude, and of my confidence in you."

He placed the cord over his head, tucking the charm under his clothes, then taking it back out and leaving it out on top. "Thank you. I…I won't waste that faith."

Presea blushed, "That is good," she paused, her better judgement winning over, "It is, um, late. Perhaps we should retire for the night."

Lloyd nodded, "You're right. Well, I enjoyed tonight Presea, lets do it again sometime."

Presea smiled. "Yes…that would be pleasant. Goodnight Lloyd." She paused in the doorway of her room, watching as Lloyd entered his own. _And thank you._


	5. On Turtles and Jellyfish

"Wow, Presea! You look so…um, _tanned!_"

"I…do?" Presea looked down at herself as she sat upright in her deck chair, placing the book she was reading on the ground. "Oh…you are correct Genis, I appear to have been burnt by the sun."

"It's not _that_ bad yet," replied the half-elf with a smile as he sat down beside her on the sandy beach. "It looks…um, cool."

"Cool? I do not understand – the sun has raised the temperature of my skin to a high level – how can it look…cool?

Genis blinked and rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, I…I didn't mean cool as in cold, I meant it as in…well…it looks good on you, that's all."

"Oh, so that was a…compliment then. Thank you Genis. Have you enjoyed your day at the beach?"

"Yeah!" Genis nodded enthusiastically. "Me and Lloyd made sand castles, then we went swimming and then we buried Zelos in the sand." He chuckled in remembrance of the last event. "He was _so_ mad."

"Sand castles?" You made a structure as large as a castle out of sand?

"Um…well, no…they were quite small."

"I see. What is the purpose of making them then?"

"Well…you kind of _have_ to make them when you're at the beach. It's like…um," Genis thought for a second, "…like making a snowman when it snows. It just needs to be done."

Presea remembered the construction of the snowman. "I understand…it is purely for recreational purposes then. I will remember to do that next time."

"Did you not make anything then Presea?" Genis leaned back onto the warm sand.

"I attempted to construct Octagon-Shell Turtle Twins…but failed."

"Turtle twins?"

"Yes. They are charms. I was making them to ward away danger at sea."

"Oh right." Genis stretched out. "What happened to them?"

Presea closed her eyes against the brightness of the setting sun's reflection in the sea. "A wave destroyed them. I did not account for that when I selected the location to create the charm."

"Oh…" Genis sounded genuinely sympathetic. "…That was a shame."

"It was inconvenient, yes." Presea reached down for the drink she had set down earlier. "I decided to enter the sea anyway and spend some time swimming…"

"Cool!" Genis sat up at that. "Did you have fun?"

"…I was stung by a jellyfish."

"Oh…um, really?"

Presea took a sip of her drink – it had gone warm. "Yes. It was probably because there was no protective charm present. As I left the water to tend to the sting I cut my foot on a sharp fragment of shell."

"Ah…"

"It was not a serious wound, but it _did_ make me fall over. Now there is sand in my bathing costume – which is fairly uncomfortable."

"I see…"

"I thought I would read for a bit, although the sun is too hot and I cannot really concentrate. It is an odd feeling to perspire when you aren't even doing anything."

Genis looked at the sand, downcast. "Oh…you didn't really have fun then?"

Presea stared at the young half-elf, confused. "Huh? No…that is untrue; I had lots of fun today." She smiled, "This is…my first time at the beach."

Genis blinked, "…Um…what? All of that and you _still_ had fun?"

"Hey Presea, Genis! Come and help me make my sand castle bigger than Lloyd and Colette's."

Genis looked up too see Sheena waving at them, her already large construction holding itself admirably against her opponents' castle.

"Affirmative." Presea emptied her glass and set it down before rising off the chair.

Genis watched her as she ran over to join Sheena, feeling a mixture of awe and confusion. "She's _amazing_," he whispered to himself.


	6. Too Many Cooks

"So there you have it." Regal brushed a rogue strand of hair away with one of his bound hands. "My work in the city should be completed by the end of the day. I nevertheless apologise for any inconvenience caused."

Genis smiled brightly from his seat, waving a hand around the rustic room of the house the group had found themselves in. "Don't worry about it Regal. After all, this is a pretty cosy place to relax for a while."

Sheena nodded her assent as she knelt down to stoke the fireplace, a warm flame licking the air. "Yeah, it sure is something! How did you manage to get us such a classy place anyway?"

Regal lowered his head slightly, his tumbling blue mane concealing the small smile on his lips. "Well…the Lezareno Company owns a lot of these cottages. The hilly terrain outside of Altamira brings a large number of tourists each year who crave the peace and quiet this area affords." He looked up and shrugged. "It doesn't take much string pulling when you are the president, even if I no longer flout my position. Besides, it is my way of apologising for the slight delay my work has caused."

Presea listened to the exchange half-heartedly, browsing one of the two packed bookcases in the living room. The topics were extensive, but slightly unusual in truth. She picked one out on cookery (expert level) and scanned through it, feeling her eyes glaze over. Is this really such a tedious subject, she thought, or is it just the book? Taking it back with her to the polished ornate table beside the fire, Presea sat down beside Colette and opened the text again to read. It took all of two seconds before she had been dragged into a conversation regarding her role as Altamira's mascot.

"Lloyd, that was Presea's line!" Genis' voice was scolding. "Besides, she can do it better than you – after all, she _is _the official mascot."

"Shut it Genis!"

Presea dared to look up from her book at the bickering friends. Lloyd, sat opposite her at the table, appeared to have the young half-elf in a mock headlock, but it seemed insufficient to stop the disagreement. Meanwhile, Regal was still talking to Raine and Zelos, and Sheena was asking Colette a question on something or other. Everyone seemed to have someone to talk to at the moment. And I have my book, she thought, lowering her gaze to continue reading.

"Hey Preseaaaa!" The singsong voices of Lloyd and Genis called out in unison.

Presea closed her eyes, finding herself grinding her teeth. "Yes?"

"Do that Dream Traveller act again," requested Lloyd. Genis nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, go on Presea. Pleeease. It's so cool."

The pink haired girl blinked. Not again, she thought; marking the part of the page she had read to. All one sentence of it. "…But I…I'm not really…" she cut herself short, watching the vacant smiles remain on their faces. Are they even hearing what I'm saying?

She held their gaze for a second, before sighing. "…Do I _have_ to?"

"YES!"

Looking round the room for any kind of support, Presea found everyone present was staring expectantly at her, having paused their conversations. The small girl looked from one face to the next, each wearing the same look, before slumping back into her chair in resignation – raising an unenthusiastic fist high in salute.

"Wahoo," she said, somewhat flatly.

"Ahaha, that was brilliant!" Lloyd roared with laughter, rocking back on his chair.

Genis joined in, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "Yeah, that was amazing Presea! Do it again, do it again!"

Presea sighed, casting another glance around the room. Apparently, her impression had been sufficient for everyone else, who had resumed their earlier conversations.

Just as she looked down at the next sentence, Lloyd, being pushed off balance by Genis, fell backwards in his chair – grasping the tablecloth in his descent. A terrible crash filled the room as several glasses, a fruit bowl and a large text on cookery hit the ground in tandem with the young man. Presea stared dumbly at the area where her book had been just seconds before, then dropped her head down heavily on the table with a sigh. Cutting through the laugher that followed, she was dimly aware of Raine's voice lecturing Lloyd on his behaviour.

"Honestly Lloyd! When will you learn?"

"Aw…but Professor…it wasn't my fault, Genis-"

"Don't blame others for your own actions," interrupted Regal.

"But…"

"No Lloyd." Raine's voice was firm. "You need to learn how to be a responsible adult."

"But I'm…"

"Perhaps I should take him to Altamira with me," suggested Regal. "I'm sure I can find him something to do there."

"Aw no…I don't want-"

"That's an excellent idea Regal," Raine nodded. "Yes. I'm sure that will do wonders for our young warrior."

"Do I even get a say in this?" Lloyd's resigned voice floated in the silence.

As the sunny morning gave way to an overcast afternoon, Presea gave up on the book, resting it on her lap as she sat in a chair in the corner of the room, peering out into the garden of the cottage. Bored, she thought, watching Genis and Zelos arguing in the garden. Colette and Sheena entered then, both laden with baskets of fresh vegetables they had spent the morning picking. Placing her book on the table, Presea stood up to shake off the sleepiness that had already claimed Raine.

"Man, that Zelos is such a jerk." Sheena wore a scowl as she dropped her baskets onto the table. "He could at least help once in a while."

"Never mind," Colette's voice was cheerful. "It was fun anyway." She unloaded herself of her baskets, wiping her brow. "Whew, well we've got all this stuff, now we've just got to make something out of it."

"Yeah," agreed Sheena, massaging her hands. "So who's going to cook? Man, I'm starving."

Colette waved a hand at Presea. "Hi Presea, did you have a good morning?"

"It was…ok." Presea stretched her arms before sitting back down again. "I was reading. It wasn't really a productive way of spending time though."

Sheena carried her baskets to the sink in the kitchen. "So what were you reading then? Anything good?"

Presea picked up the cookery book and stared at the dreary cover. "A publication on cooking that was here in the cottage. It was…boring."

Colette did a little skip, "Oh, on cookery? I didn't know you were planning on making something tonight."

Presea blinked, feeling her eyes widening. Had she said that? She mentally replayed the conversation. "Huh? Ah…no, that's not what I-"

"Presea's cooking, eh?" Sheena's voice came from the kitchen. "That's unusual. Cool, so what are you making?"

"Uh…I never said…I can't really cook-"

"Maybe you could try a curry again? I remember that last time you made one, for the Gnomelette, it wasn't really suitable for our consumption."

Presea jumped at the sound of Raine's voice, and wheeled round to look at the Professor, still sprawled in the armchair beside the fire. The small girl scowled inwardly. How nice for her to wake at such a convenient time!

"Curry…but…" her voice trailed off.

"Yay! Presea's going to make curry." Colette was smiling as she carried her baskets into the kitchen to join Sheena in rinsing the vegetables. The pink haired girl looked lost and she stared down at the book in her hands.

"Genis! Zelos! Curry tonight. Presea's cooking!" Sheena's voice could be heard as she shouted through the back door of the kitchen into the garden. Presea slumped forward onto the table, dropping the book to the floor and kicking it when Raine wasn't looking.

Shortly after, Presea was standing in front of the kitchen worktop, staring at two chickens which had been taken out of storage for her to use. She turned her attention to the cookery book again, scanning through the recipe before returning to the chickens. They appeared to return her stare despite having no eyes or, indeed, no heads.

How did this happen? She turned her gaze to the spice rack. Not _too_ spicy this time. It would be more efficient if I started by cutting the chicken though.

Pulling one of the chickens closer, Presea opened up drawers as she looked for a suitable knife. The kitchen appeared to be as well stocked as the rest of the house, and she examined a number of different blades before closing the drawer again in frustration.

She entered the living room, where Sheena, Colette and Raine were sat round the table playing cards. Presea felt some irritation at that, but quelled it as she hadn't actually done any cooking _herself_ yet.

"Excuse me," she said. "I am not used to preparing food in such a well equipped kitchen. Um…which knife is best for cutting the chicken?"

"…A chicken knife?" Raine suggested. Presea looked at her, unsure whether she was being unhelpful or merely clueless.

"I do not think there is such a thing."

"Well," Sheena interrupted. "There _is_ a sort of meat knife. Just go for something large and sharp, which will won't get blocked by the bone."

Presea nodded. "Affirmative. Large and sharp."

Colette shook her head. "But isn't it better if you cut the meat away from the bone rather than going through the bone? You could try a small thin knife, which would be easier to use."

Presea nodded. "Affirmative. Small and thin." There must be some hidden skill to this, she thought, feeling none the wiser.

"Yeah, but the small knife won't be able to cut the bone away so you can get to other areas of the chicken. A larger one will save time.

"But you might end up with bone in the chicken," argued Colette. "You might choke…"

Sheena waved a dismissive hand. "Nah, the bones'll be large enough to see."

"Isn't there a happy medium?" Raine asked. "Something which is sharp, large but easy to handle?"

Presea thought for a second. "Yes. I know of something that will fulfil the criteria specified. I shall retrieve it for use."

A few moments later, the living room was in wide-eyed silence, the card game halted, with cards limp in the players' hands.

Sheena looked over at the kitchen door, feeling as apprehensive as the others looked. "Um…was that her idea of a joke, or is she really planning on using her axe?"

Presea stared in satisfaction at the pile of neatly chopped chicken on the worktop before her.

"Size…acceptable, bone content…minimal. Mission accomplished. Next task, boil water for rice."

After checking there was sufficient fuel, Presea lit the flame and made sure the stove was warming. Then she placed the pan of water over the stove and waited. A few minutes passed, but the water still had not begun to boil. Presea checked the stove was lit again, and frowned. Was there some hidden secret to this too?

A few minutes later, Sheena poked her head around the door. "Hey, need a hand in here or have you got everything under control?"

Presea stared at the stubborn water. "I appear to be having difficulties in getting the water to boiling temperature."

Sheena entered the kitchen and looked at the stove. "Well…it's lit, maybe the water just needs a bit longer. You could do something else while you wait. A watched pot never boils…or something like that."

Presea frowned at the odd metaphor. "That seems strange," she said. "It has been like that for some time now, and I haven't been watching it the whole time."

"Hm, tell you what – lets try a little experiment."

Presea didn't know why the gleam in Sheena's eye concerned her. "I see. What will we do?"

"Well, how's about I get us a little elemental help?"

"You mean…summoning? Is that somewhat…excessive? And inappropriate?"

Sheena smiled, "Nah, it'll be fine – don't worry. Besides, I've always wanted to try this."

"Then I relinquish the water boiling duties to you. Please…do your best."

"Not a problem." Sheena pointed a finger at the flame in the stove. "Efreet! I ask that thou impart a fragment of thy power onto this weak elemental matter."

"Aargh. Oh god, oh god, my clothes!" Sheena's voice carried into the living room from the kitchen.

"Please hold still so I can administer water."

"But it _burns_! Ow."

"I did warn you that it was excessive."

"I said _fragment_!"

Raine looked up as a cloud of black smoke flowed out from the kitchen. "Oh dear. Even _I_ haven't managed something _that_ bad."

Colette ran over to open the windows. "I'm sure it'll be fine," she said, not quite feeling the confidence her voice held.

Presea looked towards the blackened stove as she dressed Sheena's arm with a damp bandage. "You have succeeded in boiling the water."

The young summoner winced, brushing back her long hair from her face. "Yeah, I guess that's something. Um…sorry about your hand."

"It is fine. Cold water should suffice. You suffered worse burns."

"Ah, it's okay." Sheena fidgeted. "Say, you wanna hand? I could deal with the rice or something."

"If you wish." Presea nodded. "Although I would recommend against the use of further summons."

Sheena laughed weakly. "Sure. So…where's the rice kept then?"

Presea frowned. "I think that door over there leads to the pantry. I shall go and have a look."

The room beyond the kitchen was enormous for its purpose, and stocked with large quantities of vegetables, preserved meat, flavourings and spices, and liquids. Presea looked around the room, locating the jute sacks which contained the wheat and grain. Picking up one of the ones marked 'Rice' Presea looked briefly at the racks containing wines and ales. Do you have wine in or with curry? She grabbed a bottle anyway, and returned to the kitchen.

"Here is the rice," she dragged the bag over to Sheena.

"Ok, leave it to me." The young summoner paused as she took the bag from Presea. "Hey, what's the wine for?"

"Oh…I did not know if wine was necessary for the recipe. Last time I only made the curry spicy…this time I must focus on taste."

"Well, I don't know of any curry recipe that requires wine." Sheena shrugged, a smile on her face. "But, hey – we can always have some. After all, we're the ones working right?"

Presea thought for a moment. "Yes…I'm sure that is fair."

"Atta girl!" Sheena poured several measures of rice into the water before breaking the seal of the bottle. Presea placed the chicken pieces into the pan and set it on the stove, before receiving the glass of wine her friend had just poured.

Sipping at the sweet, oaken tasting liquid, Presea studied the recipe book once again. The wine felt like it was fizzing in her mouth, and she swallowed quickly after each sip to avoid the peculiar sensation. The measures of the necessary spices and other ingredients seemed to have been written in a complex manner purely for the sake of it. She frowned, then handed the book to Sheena. "Does this make any sense to you?"

"Not a bit." Sheena's brows furrowed, then she closed the book and put it aside. "Never mind, I've made curry quite a few times before, I'm sure I can remember what to put in."

"You can? That is impressive."

Sheena waved a hand, taking a rather large sip from her glass. "Ah, its nothing. Don't worry – this'll be a great curry!"

Colette bounded in through the door. "Hi everyone," she called out cheerfully. "Need a hand?"

Raine followed the young chosen, stifling a yawn. "Yes, card games really need more than two people to work."

Presea shrugged as she stirred the chicken pieces. "There is little to do at the moment."

"It doesn't matter." Sheena had already pulled out another two glasses from a cupboard and had begun to fill them with wine. "Pull up a chair and have a glass." She topped up Presea's and her own glass in the progress.

"Ooh – is this wine? I haven't tried this before." Colette took the proffered glass and drank a significant quantity of it. "It tickles," she remarked.

"Don't drink it so fast," Raine advised, taking her own glass. "Are you sure we should be drinking this? That bottle looks old. About 53 years if I'm not mistaken, and, judging by its rich taste, a wine of excellent quality."

"Wow Professor, are you a wine expert too?" Colette giggled as she set the empty glass down, brushing locks of blonde hair away from her eyes.

"Not really, though through history one can learn to appreciate the value of-"

"Enough," interrupted Sheena as she finished her second glass, her cheeks holding a slight pink tint.

"It's easy to appreciate the value of wine! You don't need history for that!" She set the glass down. "Presea! We must spice the chicken."

Presea watched the young lady as she studied the spice rack. "Ah…um…there must be something here, somewhere."

"Does anybody present know the type and quantity of spice needed to flavour the chicken?"

Raine shook her head. "Haven't a clue, I'm afraid." She finished off her glass and frowned. "Genis will know, if you can find him – he was in the garden earlier."

Presea nodded, and drained her glass, feeling slightly light-headed as she placed it down on the worktop. "Then I shall…locate Genis and ask for his assistance." The sentence had somehow proved difficult to say.

Colette giggled again, sitting on the floor. "I'll go and get the vegetables from the storeroom."

"And another bottle! This ones empty!" Sheena shouted before turning her attention to stirring the chicken.

Presea's head reeled suddenly in the cool afternoon air as she entered the garden. Despite the mild breeze, she found herself feeling warm from the inside out, her cheeks aglow. Spying Genis dozing against a solid apple tree, Presea found herself wanting to sneak up to the young half-elf rather than just calling out to wake him. She moved round the garden perimeter, coming up to the tree behind Genis.

"BooGenismaywepleaserequestyourservicesinthekitchen?"

Genis jumped at the sound of the rapidly spoken and slurred sentence and looked about him in alarm, rubbing the tiredness from his eyes. "Wha-oh, Presea! You made me jump!"

He looked at the small girl, slightly swaying before him as she leaned against the tree. What's wrong with _her_?

"…Genis may we please request your services in the kitchen? We are having spice trouble."

The half-elf scratched his brow as he rose to his feet. That didn't sound like how Presea would normally speak. He looked at the pink glow around her cheeks and watched her steady herself against the tree. "Presea…have you been, _drinking_?"

"A-Affirmative. Sheena found a bottle of wine. Apparently Colette is going to find another. There is a lot in the storeroom."

"Oh-okay." Genis felt a slight pang of regret at missing what was obviously a good time. "Sure I'll help."

Presea's bow was exaggerated. "Thank you Genis. I am indebted to you"

The half-elf flushed. "Ah, no…It's okay, you don't have to go _that_ far. Umm…lets go to the kitchen then, eh?"

They were greeted at the door of the kitchen by an inebriated Colette, who distributed glasses of wine to Presea and Genis. "Preseaaa, Geeenis!" She enveloped them both in hugs, "Welcome back! Zelos is showing us how to cut the vegetables well."

The small girl heard Genis sigh as they followed Colette through the door. Great, that's all we need." Presea was going to add a comment, but found herself taking another sip of wine instead.

"I heard that, brat." The Teth'allan chosen was stood at the worktop, a pristine white apron and oversized chef's hat looking quite ridiculous on him. "Now quiet and listen, the great Zelos is about to show his hunnies how to turn cutting vegetables into an art form."

Genis was staring incredulously at Zelos; "_You're_ good in the kitchen?"

"Hey now, go easy on the scepticism, there's lots of things I'm good at. Observe!" Zelos' hands were a blur as he diced through several of the vegetables in quick succession. Presea wasn't sure if it was genuine skill or her own decidedly blurry eyes deceiving her. She took a step closer to watch, holding onto Genis' arm to balance. The young half-elf blushed at her touch, "Presea, are you all right? Do you need to lie down?"

Presea shook her head. "I am fine, there is no need for concern." She turned to Zelos. "Your skills in the kitchen are impressive. I did not expect that."

Zelos smiled broadly at the compliment. "Thank you my cute little Presea, but why did you not expect it?"

"Probably because you look as though you've never had to cook a meal in your life." Remarked Genis sullenly.

Zelos' reply was cut short by the explosive arrival of Sheena and Raine from the storage room, bottles of wine clutched in each of their hands. "Here's the wine!" Shouted the young lady, opening a bottle and pouring it into glasses. It was only when her own glass was topped up that Presea realised she had emptied it. Colette bounded over as Genis wandered over to apply spices to the cooking chicken.

"Presea! Lets do the washing!" Her voice was rapid and permeated with giggles. Presea found herself struggling to focus on her own words as she made to reply, her vision seeming blurred around the edges.

"Affirmative," she managed. Colette laughed for seemingly no reason and grabbed Presea by the hand, running to the sink. Presea looked back as she was pulled along, feeling her senses reel with the motion. "Good luck with the vegetables Zelos. Please…do your best."

As she approached the sink, Colette slipped on some spilled water and fell over, taking Presea with her. The two skidded slightly along the floor, Presea coming to rest across Colette's lap.

"For goodness sake, you mustn't run in the kitchen. And watch out, the rice is boiling over!" Despite the mild lecturing tone in her voice, it was clear Raine was very much under the influence of the wine too.

"_I'll_ deal with it," replied Sheena, her voice raised.

"I think _you've_ dealt with enough." Zelos remarked with a small laugh. "Yo, vegetables are done."

"Chicken is almost done," added Genis. "Woah, no Sheena, we don't put wine in the chicken. Now how's about you give me that bottle so I can put it out of harms way. You wouldn't want to waste any now, right?"

"Yeah…no…no I wouldn't. You're pretty smart Genis, you know that? Hehe…Here, you have some wine – it'll do you good. I'll…I'll just take my glass and me over here."

Colette laughed, rousing Presea from her drowsy listening of the conversations. "Guess this isn't going too well."

Presea found herself smiling, her head feeling light and numb. "True…you are quite comfortable Colette. Is that an effect of being a chosen?"

Colette giggled, ruffling the small girl's hair. "Hehe, just my speciality I guess."

"It is a handy speciality to have. I think I may stay here a while if that is okay with yourself."

"Hey you two – weren't you washing? Genis walked over, a glass of wine untouched in his hand.

"It became necessary to charge our energies before starting such a task." Presea wasn't sure if she was making _any_ sense. There seemed to be a warm burning from her throat to her stomach as she tried to stand up, holding onto the worktop beside her with shaky hands. She lurched forward into the half-elf's steadying grasp. "I appear to be acting somewhat foolishly," she slurred, unable to tell if the heat in her cheeks was from the wine or blush.

"I shouldn't worry about it," replied Genis, taking a small sip from his glass and spluttering slightly at the strength of it. "You're not alone. Except for Zelos, everyone else is drinking."

I wonder why, thought Presea as she lurched towards the red haired young man who was emptying vegetables into the chicken's spicy sauce. "Zelos…wine are you not drinking? Why I mean. Why are you not having any…wine? She paused, frowning.

Zelos looked down and smiled. "I will let you know in the morning my dear Presea. If you haven't already found out by then that is."

Presea pondered his words, looking round to see Colette beginning to wash up under the watchful eyes of Genis. Her vision seemed to be becoming very glassy now. "Is there any…" she struggled to find the word, "…_task_ I can perform?" She seemed to remember being the one who was supposed to be cooking the meal tonight.

"How about taking that bowl with the left over spices to Colette for washing up?" Zelos took off the hat, and placed it on Presea's head, where it sunk somewhat over her eyes. "You can be my head chef."

Presea raised an arm in salute. "I will do my best."

The small girl found herself dashing down the kitchen in a joyous stupor, the hat almost completely blocking her hazy view. "Colette. Spice bowl. Beware, it still contains spice powder."

"No problem, I'll wash it." Colette voice was as slurred as it was cheerful, taking the bowl in both hands from Presea. The young chosen went to turn around, but tripped on the side of the sink cupboard, and fell backwards with a squeak. The bowl flew from her hands, sending the remaining spice over Genis and Presea on its way to the ground.

"Sorry!" Colette managed to say in between gasping laughs. "If its any consol…cons…um…" she struggled at the word. "…If it makes you feel better, at least you smell cute now."

Presea blinked. "Cute? I smell of…paprika?"

"Yeah, but it's a nice smell."

Genis dusted himself off, and placed his now empty wineglass on the worktop, cheeks slightly rosy. "How about _I_ finish the washing? There's not much left anyway."

Colette rose to her feet and embraced Genis, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you Geeenis," she said sweetly.

"All right girls!" Sheena's voice was louder than ever, as she seemed to appear out of thin air beside them. "If you're free, then how's about helping me finish this bottle?" She waved the object around in her hand, sloshing its contents out over the floor.

"Yeah!" Colette held out her own glass and Genis'. Presea looked round, unable to remember where she had left hers.

"…I was in possession of a glass," she remarked. "…I have…lost it."

"Ah, don't worry about it!" Sheena leaned over the worktop in the centre of the room and grabbed another bottle. "Here, this one can be yours. Look – we'll even write your name on it!"

Presea received the bottle and admired the almost illegible writing. This one smelled differently, richer, almost _drier_.

"Watch out, that chicken is burning." Raine suddenly appeared by the stove, lurching forward and gripping the pan with her hand to move it away from the heat. "Ow!" She moaned in pain as the hot metal burned her hand.

Zelos appeared beside her, taking the pan by its handle to set it back on the stove. "The chicken is fine. The rice is fine. The only thing burning was you, my dear professor. Now lets run that hand under some cold water."

"Oh my…you certainly are useful to have in the kitchen." The giggly quality of Raine's voice brought out a moan from her younger brother.

"Raine…_please!_ This is why _you_ shouldn't drink."

Presea leaned on the centre worktop and watched the scene with blurry eyes, although she could barely understand what they were talking about. Raine seemed to be discussing the task of being an older sister with Zelos, much to the chagrin of a blushing Genis, begging her to stop.

There was a sound nearby, and suddenly Sheena and Colette were staring down at her. Looking about, Presea realised that she had fallen over. The lights in the kitchen seemed to be growing brighter, and her friends were talking; though she couldn't understand what they were saying.

"Wahoo," she slurred as an answer to whatever they were asking her.

Presea screwed her eyes shut against the morning light as somebody opened the curtains with a loud "Morning." Even closed though, the sun seemed to penetrate through, causing a throbbing pain to erupt in her head. She turned over in the bed, and opened her eyes slightly, before they widened in the shock of finding Colette beside her, asleep. Sitting bolt upright – and regretting it – Presea turned her head round to look at the window where Zelos was fastening the curtains open.

"Zelos!" Presea winced as she spoke. "You should not be in here. Please leave."

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger! I'm just the unlucky one who get sent to wake you guys up – youtwo should have been up _ages_ ago. Come on, we're ready to leave soon. _After_ you guys clean up the kitchen." He laughed, but avoided her eyes all the same, looking instead at the floor as he left. Presea paused for a second after he closed the door, then lay her head back on a pillow to fight off the waves of nausea that seemed to rise with every movement. She figured it was a bad thing that large pieces of the night before seemed to be missing from her memory.

"Colette," she said quietly, then turned to shake her companion. "Um, Colette – we need to get up."

"Mph," replied the Chosen as she opened her eyes. She blushed as she focused on Presea. "Morning…oh…um…Presea? What are you doing here?"

"Good morning." Presea sat up and climbed out of bed, rubbing her sore head. "I understand what Zelos meant about the wine now," she muttered.

"Colette sat up with a moan. "At least you remember _something_."

The two girls walked down the stairs into the lounge of the house, where everyone was gathered. Sheena and Raine looked very pale and limp in the chairs they were sat in, but Lloyd, Regal – who both must have returned at some point in the night – and Genis blushed as they set eyes on Presea and Colette.

"What?" Colette asked after a brief pause. Presea suddenly had a bad feeling about the whole situation and her head was in agony.

"Um…nothing…nothing at all." Lloyd's laugh was nervous and Genis looked away, abashed.

"Huh?" Colette blinked… "I don't understand, what _is_ it?"

Regal coughed, not making eye contact. "Well…I assume that last night you both…" he trailed off for a second, "…you…uh…don't remember then…about-"

"No, I do not." Presea looked around the room, feeling _very_ awkward. "Are we leaving now then?"

"Um…why? What happened? Did I fall over or something?" Colette sounded concerned, obviously sharing Presea's thoughts.

"All the time…but that wasn't really it." Lloyd hesitated, rubbing the back of his head. "You…um, neither of you remember what you got up to? Before you both went up–"

"No." Presea interrupted, grabbing Colette by the arm and walking quickly to the front door, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks. "We don't remember and we don't _want_ to. Lets go."

"But Presea…" Colette started, but the small girl ignored her, trying hard not to remember _anything_. I don't want _this_ lost time back.


	7. Heimdall Part One

Late dusk had descended into twilight, while a gentle breeze carried the scent of wild fruits from Torent forest into the village of Heimdall. As she sat on an ornately carved wooden bench listening to the calming swells of the stream water flowing past, Presea made an attempt to come to terms with what was to occur the next day.

Tomorrow, she thought. This time tomorrow will be the end of the journey. Cruxis has been defeated, and all that is left is for Lloyd to defeat his father and re-unite the worlds.

LloydShe closed her eyes and leaned her head back, inhaling in the cool night air. What am I going to do after this is over? She thought of that night spent camping outside of Flanoir, one that now seemed so long ago.

'_Or if come tomorrow, you were no longer in his company?_' Colette's words emerged from the jumble of conflicting thoughts residing inside Presea's head, and the small girl suddenly found her eyes filling up with tears. She brushed a finger across an eye, staring in amazement at the tear, which glistened on her skin like the sparkling of early morning dew on grass.

What…what is this? She felt her lip tremble, and more tears began to flow despite her best efforts at rubbing them away. Her eyes burning, Presea eventually gave up trying to stop them and instead focused her tear-stained gaze on the swirling stream in front of her, thinking. Once the worlds have been re-united, our group will have no further objectives, and with no purpose we will probably disperse. I…will be alone again.

She watched a couple of Elves pass by, who stared at her out the corners of their eyes. She automatically brought a hand up to wipe at her cheeks, wondering what she must look like. This is not a practical use of my time, she thought, admonishing herself. But still, she just couldn't shake the negative feelings – no matter how hard she tried – and began to feel frustrated. Am I going to see them again? Will I see Lloyd again? Otherwise, I…

No. She shook her head angrily, scolding herself. I am being selfish. Tomorrow, Lloyd will meet his father in combat. Presea stared up at the emerging stars, trying to imagine what he must going through, but all she had of her own father were hazy memories. She found herself almost envious of the young man, who, in theory, was in possession of two fathers – even if he didn't as yet see Kratos as such.

Presea's thoughts trailed off as she thought of her own father, and of Alicia. The small girl closed her eyes, feeling the unjustness of her loss. Her family was gone; her old friends had all grown up; her lost time, never to be recovered. It was so _unfair_! She punched her fist down onto the solid bench again and again in anger, feeling the smooth hard wood scratch and cut her skin. Why is it that I am surrounded by people I call friends, and yet feel so _alone_? The question played on her mind, but she couldn't find a sufficient answer, her thoughts returning always to Lloyd.

He has been on his own a lot since we arrived here, she contemplated the reasons why and frowned. Perhaps he would benefit from talking about his task tomorrow. Presea stood up, feeling somewhat more at ease now she had thought of something to do.

Small scattered clusters of clouds, tinted purple in the light of the moon, contrasted smoothly with the dark blue sky as Presea made her way towards the house Lloyd would be in. Above it, the milky orb of the near full moon could be seen through the thin branches of overhead trees, pockets of stars clustered around, guarding it jealously. The village seemed quiet now in the late hour, most of the inhabitants having already retired to their houses, if not to bed.

As she stood in front of the door, she paused in thought. I wonder if I am being too concerned. She waited for a few seconds; her forehead resting on the door, listening to the breeze rustling leaves, the distant muffled conversations in other houses, the bubbling stream. There was something else too; a burning inner feeling that she didn't want to leave this night without having spoken to Lloyd.

Raising her head, she took a deep breath and rapped on the door.

"Who is it?" Lloyd's voice didn't sound sleepy, so it was unlikely she had woken him. Presea opened the door and lingered in the doorway, feeling as awkward as she had done in Flanoir. Lloyd was sat up on the bed rubbing his eyes, still dressed in his travelling clothes.

"It's me," she said simply. "Were you asleep? I apologise if I woke you."

Lloyd shook his head, and stretched. "I couldn't really get to sleep."

Presea nodded. "Ah. Is it about tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I guess that _is_ on my mind." Lloyd closed his eyes in thought. "Amongst other things."

"Um, well…" Presea paused, feeling the colour rise in her cheeks. "Maybe…would you like to talk about it?"

Lloyd opened his eyes and looked at Presea. "Talk about…tomorrow?"

The small girl nodded, and smiled. "I have found that the stream in this village is very relaxing, and there is a bench nearby…uh…if you wish to that is. I still owe you one from Flanoir.

The brown haired young man smiled warmly at that, "Sure Presea, just for a little while. That would be nice."

"Our journey is almost over," Presea voice was unreadable as she stated the fact.

"Yeah." Lloyd sighed as the pair came to the small bridge spanning the stream. "When I defeat Kratos and release Origin tomorrow..."

The small girl studied her companion's face. "...You don't feel any trepidation...about fighting Kratos?"

Lloyd paused for a second as he crossed the bridge, then shook his head. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't. But I guess Kratos wants to fight us."

"Will you have to, um…" Presea hesitated at the words, "…take his life?"

Lloyd closed his eyes for a second. "I _have_ been wondering about that myself," he confessed, rubbing his brow. "There is a chance I guess, yeah. I…I hope it doesn't come to that though. I hope there's some other way to break the seal."

"Origin's seal…" The small girl looked at her friend and felt an overwhelming feeling of sympathy for him. "I hope there is another way too. I…I do not want you to lose your father." She took a breath, shuddering in remembrance of the feeling, and aware of his eyes on her. 'Like I have' would have been her next words, but Lloyd seemed to have understood what she had meant to say.

"It's okay," he said softly. "Something will work out, I'm sure."

Presea shook her head, flustered. "I do not understand," she said fiercely. A sudden gust of wind ruffled her hair, and she turned her head against it. "I do not see the logic of this fight. For all intents and purposes, Cruxis no longer exists."

There was no real humour behind Lloyds smile, only a sense of understanding. "Well, I think Kratos wants to bid farewell to his old self as an angel of Cruxis."

Presea's brow furrowed in thought as she tried to understand Lloyd's words. Some of it seemed to make sense, but other parts… "Can he not do that by physically abandoning his role as an angel?"

"He's probably lived too long for that," Lloyd's voice seemed distant as he answered. He continued to walk in silence for a while, deep in thought. They approached the same bench Presea had sat on earlier, partly circled by trees and bordered round the front by the stream. On seeing it, the small girl felt an overwhelming desire to blurt out all of the fears which had been troubling her previously, but held the feeling in check. Tonight is Lloyd's night, she thought.

A few moments later, he sighed again. "Sorry, I got a bit lost in my thoughts there. Its just, I can't even imagine what four thousand years is like."

Presea placed a brief hand on her Exsphere, eyes closed. "Four thousand years..." She wondered at the loneliness one must feel, thinking of how much her own isolation hurt. "Continuing to exist beyond the limits of your race...is a painful thing."

Lloyd glanced up as branches of the nearby trees rustled in the breeze. "I wonder what I'd do if I had that kind of time."

"Eventually...you would get tired of living." Presea blinked sadly for a second, feeling something in her throat. She looked up at Lloyd. "That is what I think."

"Get tired?" Lloyd returned her gaze. " I wonder if that's true. If you can live for a long time, you'll get to do a lot of things."

She sat herself down just in front of the bench, on the soft grass by the stream bank and dangled her legs over the side. The water swirled and gurgled as she watched her thoughtful reflection ripple.

"Is it not because people know that they will eventually die, that they try very hard to live?" she said at last, tilting her head back to look at the star filled sky. "When people die, everything is over. Therefore, everyone wants to find their destiny before that time comes...At least, that's how feel."

For some reason she felt that earlier sadness returning and as she brought a hand up to her Exsphere again, she found the emotional lump in her throat had increased. I don't want to die, she thought. Not alone, not without...

Tears had begun to pour down her face again, and she turned her head away so Lloyd couldn't see, staring instead at the stream beneath her feet. Lloyd's laugh confirmed he was oblivious to the sorrow that had suddenly engulfed her. "Yeah...maybe so, he said walking closer. "It's kinda like if the holidays lasted forever. I'd never do my homework."

Presea laughed despite herself, trying to wipe dry her eyes. That was _so_ like Lloyd. "I don't think that is quite the same thing."

Lloyd rubbed the back of his head, sounding dismayed. "Oh, really?"

She turned her head to face him, smiling. "It is not the same, but it is easy to understand."

His laugh was warm and slightly embarrassed. "It's okay, I wasn't offended or anything," he said, then paused, staring as the moonlight shimmered on her tear-stained cheeks. "Presea are you all right?" There was genuine concern in his voice as he approached, resting a hand on her shoulder. "You're crying."

Presea wiped a hand across her eyes and turned away, feeling awkward and embarrassed. "It is nothing. I'm fine."

"No you're not. What is it?" He sat down beside her and let his hand fall down her arm till it found her own. Presea's cheeks flushed, and she felt her stomach lurch as his fingers entwined around hers. "Lloyd…" she turned her head to face him again, feeling giddy at the nervous ambience of the event.

He smiled reassuringly, giving her hand a quick squeeze. "It's okay, you know. You can tell me."

Presea could feel her eyes filling up again, and felt guilty. After all, she had asked Lloyd here to talk about how _he_ felt, and now this. She felt useless, but the knowledge that Lloyd was there for her and the sudden release of emotion gave her the strength to finally open up, to discuss the heart of her pain.

She tried to smile, and the small laugh she let out was merged with a sob of relief. "It's just…I spent my life watching the people of my village grow older and pass me by." _I'm lonely_.

"Yeah." Lloyd nodded, his voice sympathetic in its sadness.

"Even my younger sister, Alicia, grew older than me," she continued, feeling a pang of remorse at her sister's name, wondering if she would ever fully come to terms with her loss. "...I wanted to go on to the next grade with everyone else." _I am so lonely._

Still holding her hand, Lloyd had turned slightly to face her. He had nothing to say, nothing he _could_ say, but even so, Presea found she had support in his gaze. "But I alone, am still on a holiday…" she used his term with a sad smile on her lips.

Lloyd surprised her then as, smiling brightly, he leant over and took her other hand in his. She adjusted herself so she was more comfortable, resting on her calves as she faced him. "Then, let's grow older together," he said simply.

Although she tried, Presea couldn't quite conceal the gasp that left her mouth. The warm dizziness had returned, and she bowed her head briefly, closing her eyes in an attempt to calm her reeling mind.

I cannot believe this is happening, she thought, and only when she opened her eyes again to look at the young man before her did she realise how much she _had_ wanted it to happen. "Together…with you?" Even speaking had become an effort, and she found her hands trembling.

"Sure," said Lloyd. "Listen, when this journey is over. I'm planning to go around the world collecting all the remaining Exspheres. To make sure that people will never get hurt by them. I would…" he paused, slightly colouring, "I would _really_ like you to come with me. As in…like, I won't take no for an answer."

Presea swallowed, biting her lip as she looked Lloyd right in the eye. Her breathing was ragged, and the lump in her throat made speaking difficult, but Lloyd's nervous gaze gave her the strength to answer.

"I…" she paused, feeling tears forming in her eyes again as she gripped Lloyd's hands tight. "I wish to go with you too," she said softly.

His face seemed to register disbelief for a second, and then he laughed in jubilation. "What, really? You mean it? Wow Presea, that's great!"

Presea stared at the young man, wondering why he sounded so relieved. She released his hands as she shifted her position, draping her legs over the bank again and focusing on her reflection to calm herself.

Numb relief had filled every part of her body, and the empty despair that had consumed her mind every time she thought of the next day had faded incredibly quickly into nothing. She gazed at Lloyd's face and it was then that she finally realised what it was she had been feeling for so long.

"Lloyd, I…" she broke off at the sound of her own voice being carried by the silence, and felt sudden pangs of doubt.

If…if I _am_ feeling what I think it is…and I say something now, what will he do? What will he say? She avoided his gaze, looking at the area in front of his position and then the moon hanging in the air above them. The warm dizzying sensation was not going away, and as she admitted to herself how she felt about him, she also accepted that there was _something_ in the back of her mind that wouldn't let her _not _say something. Blushing, she tore her eyes away from the moon, and looked back at Lloyd. "I…there is something I would like to say to you. Something I _need_ to say to you. It…it has been occupying my mind a lot recently."

Lloyd nodded, the gentle smile still there. "What is it Presea?"

Her whole face seemed to be burning now, the giddying sensation almost deafening her to her own words. She felt distant, like a spectator watching from afar. "I…" she swallowed, unsure. This is unacceptable, she thought. Whatever transpires after tonight will only matter if you speak your mind now.

Presea bit her lip again, feeling uncomfortable in a situation that, to her, was unfamiliar. Taking a breath, she tried again. "Lloyd, I…I think I…am in love with you." Interesting how such simple words are so hard to say.

Lloyd dropped back down into his earlier position beside her, a serious look failing to mask what looked like a blush. "Presea…" He had started to say something else, but it was lost in the stream of hastily prepared words that Presea had begun to release.

"And I…I do not think it's in a…ah," she tried to recall Colette's definitions, "…a _family_ way, like the love siblings share. I don't even think I have really considered it until recently, but every time I thought about what was going to happen after tomorrow, I…" her cheeks began to feel wet again, and her voice was coming out in choked sobs. A thought suddenly occurred to her, wondering whether anyone else could hear her during this moment as she poured her heart out. It was soon lost though in a conflict of rising emotions. She closed her eyes. I don't want to be alone anymore.

Lloyd had placed a hand on her arm. No, it's not enough to stop now. Just tell him, she told herself fiercely, as she pawed at her eyes, remembering how she felt at the questions when she was discussing the subject of love with Colette. _Or if come tomorrow, you were no longer in his company?_

"…I, oh I can't _do _it Lloyd! I can't do this if I'm not with you." Her voice had taken its cue from the passionate words floating around in her head. Desperation and raw emotion had uncharacteristically amplified her speech as loud, unrestrained sobs echoed through the air. "I…I need you Lloyd and…I _love_ you."

Presea turned her face away then, wiping her sore eyes – scared to look at Lloyd. "I am tired of always being strong," she continued, "I…I want to be weak – just for once." Getting to her feet, she moved to the bench and dropped heavily into it, her unfocused eyes fixed on the floor around her feet. "I want…I just want to _need _somebody; to feel as though I can't do anything without that _one_ person. I want to be with you, because…you…you make me feel _wanted_, and you make me feel safe just being near me. I like the feeling I receive when I admit to myself that I need you and I…I just thought, together with you, I may be able to fill the void in my life." She told herself desperately to shut up, and the absence of her voice created a stillness she soon felt ashamed of.

"Presea…" Lloyd's voice seemed to hang in the silence for ages as he walked over and knelt in front of her position on the bench. He placed a hand on her shoulder, his skin feeling warm on her own. In that one moment she was yearning to hear his next words, even though the thought of what they might be filled her with a terrible fear.

"I…" he laughed slightly to offset his obvious nervousness. "I would…well…like to help you fill that void."

She paused before looking up at him, numb, her eyes shimmering in the moonlight. "Y-you would?"

Lloyd nodded, swallowing. "Yeah, I…I'm not very good at this." He admitted, taking one of her hands in his. "I want to be with you too Presea. To be honest, I think I've been trying not to think about it yet – you know, what will happen after tomorrow, and what I would do." He stroked her hand and Presea swallowed, feeling more nervous than she had ever remembered being before. "But I was thinking earlier, you know – before you arrived, that regardless of what I do after, I don't want to do it without you. That's why I want you to come with me and that's why…well, I…um…I love you too Presea!"

It was a strange thing, as if that one sentence was the signal to which weeks of built up panic, sadness and longing had been waiting for. As the surge of emotions released themselves from Presea, she found she couldn't say anything at all. She leaned, sobbing with relief into the arms of Lloyd's embrace and as she turned her head to gaze at him, she felt her lips brush his. She wasn't sure who moved into the kiss first, but it did not concern her. She drank him in, her desperation giving way to scared, nervous passion as she wrapped her arms around the young man, their lips pressed together in an embrace of their own.

They stayed like that for a moment more, and even when they loosened out of the hold, it was a shared activity, two minds working as one. Presea found herself wiping away fresh tears, even though her heart was alight with joy. Why am I crying still? She blinked, confused. Oh Lloyd, she thought, I am not used to this.

Lloyd smiled at her, "Are you okay?"

She found herself nodding, unable to speak for the lump of relief in her throat. Lloyd's gentle laugh carried no humour, only kindness as he moved to sit beside Presea on the bench. "You dork," he said, pressing her close to him and kissing the top of her head.

"I…I must apologise," she said, as she leaned her head on Lloyd's shoulder, her unsteady voice dry and raw. "It is…improper to cry over things that make you happy so…why am I?"

Lloyd shook his head, resting it on Presea's. "It's not improper Presea. Sometimes we cry when we're happy."

Presea tilted her head slightly so she could see Lloyd's face. "I see. I _do_ feel happy," she said, "But also I feel relief. I felt unsure of my feelings for so long – thinking I must have been mistaken or something, and so…I…I just didn't think you would ever feel the same…" she trailed off, wrapping an arm round the front of his chest. The physical contact filled Presea with warmth and a snug sense of safety, and it suddenly felt as though she couldn't hold him hard enough – as if she could just squeeze him tight and never let go.

"You've been thinking about this for a while then?" Lloyd enveloped her outstretched hand with his own.

Presea felt her cheeks flush, "Yes, kind of. Although I do not believe it was always with such clarity."

"I understand," said Lloyd. "I think that was the same for me, well…I think it's only been tonight that I realised how I really _felt_. Till then I was a bit confused. You know, how you think you understand what you are feeling, but you aren't exactly sure." There was a slight blush to his cheeks and he sounded embarrassed. "Guess I'm a bit simple-minded eh?"

Presea smiled. "I do not mind," she said softly, watching the wind shake loose leaves from the trees above and distribute them into the stream. "I am just so relieved."

"Let's make it a promise then."

"A promise?" Although she didn't move, Lloyd's statement had caught her by surprise.

"Yeah. To grow old together."

"Yes," Presea whispered, closing her eyes as she nestled her head closer, snuggling further into his embrace, "Please, don't leave me behind."

Lloyd's hands were soft as he stroked her hair, a sensation she hadn't, to her knowledge, felt before. "I promise I won't."

"That…that feels nice." Presea stifled a small yawn, feeling suddenly exhausted. Even closed, her eyelids felt heavy. "I apologise for keeping you up so late, it would be wise for you to sleep. You need to replenish your strength for tomorrow." _Tomorrow_. Presea realised as she had said it that the word no longer conjured up feelings of fear or sorrow.

"You're right, I'm going to be no good if I fall asleep in the middle the fight." Lloyd laughed, "but I'm okay for a while longer. How about you Presea? You looked drained earlier, you must be tired."

In the silent air, Presea's shallow breathing was the only thing that indicated she was already asleep, clutching Lloyd and with a gentle smile on her lips. Lloyd watched her for a second before looking up at the moon between the branches of the trees, his face echoing Presea's as he closed his eyes. "I promise I won't," he whispered, repeating the vow again.


	8. Heimdall Part Two

I am in love.

No matter how many times she thought the words, or spoke them out loud, Presea still found herself confused at the prospect of feeling such an emotion. Lying on the soft bed inside the house she was staying at in Heimdall, she watched the moonlight spill under the curtains at the window and exhaled slowly.

I am in love.

It was no good, she decided. There was no way she could sleep the way she felt at the moment. She still felt giddy from earlier in the night, but – even more than that – there was an exhilarating thrill running through her. A burning anticipation that warmed her all over, despite the fact that the chill night air was easily penetrating her night-clothes. She climbed out of bed and, drawing aside the curtains, looked out at the quiet village. With only a few hours remaining till sunrise, there was not a single person out yet, but Presea found plenty of other sights to keep her attention occupied, albeit briefly.

From her position, she could just make out the curve of the stream, where it crossed in front of the bench Lloyd and herself had discussed their feelings on. Presea wondered if she would ever see this village in the same light again, how she should now feel, and only when she caught sight of her reflection did she notice the bright smile on her face. Her heart was pounding as she returned to sit on the edge of the bed.

I am in love with Lloyd, she reflected, a warm shudder passing through her body as she thought his name. The sensation she felt seemed like it was expanding inside of her, as if she needed to do something to expel it. It was almost like frustration, only the sorrow or anger had been replaced with a raw joy. Presea felt like shouting as loud as she could, the sentence she had been repeating to herself. She had never before encountered a feeling like this before, and she was as confused as she was happy.

Falling backwards onto the bed, Presea lay there for a while with her eyes closed, reflecting on the night's events. She remembered waking up as Lloyd had placed her gently on the bed, blushing as she realised he must have carried her there. He had remained there for a while; talking to her about all kinds of things and holding her hand until she had fallen asleep again.

Thinking about it now, she wished she had remained awake for longer – suddenly finding the time she had spent with Lloyd precious. Opening her eyes, Presea felt her eyes were again damp with joyful tears. From the window, the sounds of early morning came tumbling in with the first pale rays of sunlight. Presea blinked in the direction of the window, frowning. Had she fallen asleep? Or just been lost in her thoughts for so long? No, this was no good, she decided. She wouldn't be able to sleep right now with so much going on in her head. Stirring, she went to where she had stored her clothes, and pulled out some clean travelling items, getting changed hastily.

There were only a handful of Elves going about their business in the village as Presea stepped out into the pale light, only the tip of the shimmering sun visible as it hung, framed between the tree lined horizon and a burning sky. Presea sat on the soft grass outside the house, leaning her back against the structure and watching the small number of Elves tend to the numerous patches of crops spread over the village.

"You're up early Presea," remarked a voice. "Couldn't sleep?"

The small girl turned her head to see Professor Raine approaching her position, and felt elated that there was somebody else here to talk to.

"Yes, I was finding it hard to sleep," she conceded. "I think today is going to be tense for all of us."

Raine sat herself down beside the small girl and stretched. "Agreed. Today _is_ the big day after all. As for myself, I couldn't sleep at all last night so I took a stroll around the village." She paused for a second, closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the wall of the building. "It is a beautiful place, especially at night…historically speaking that is. Wouldn't you say?"

Presea studied the Professor's smile, puzzled "My apologies, I am…not overly familiar with the history of this region."

Raine opened her eyes, and looked sideways at Presea. "Oh, and there was me thinking you and Lloyd were out so late studying the fine Elven architecture.

Presea coloured and looked at the ground. "You…observed us then."

The Professor's laugh carried nothing but gentle humour. "Not really, I only saw him carrying you back to the house. But thank you for confirming my suspicions anyway."

"Ah…um…" Even embarrassed, the exhilarating giddiness wouldn't go away, and Presea found herself smiling brightly. "Raine…I am in _lov_e," she said loudly, her eyes glittering. "And it…it feels strange – in a good way – but still, strange…I've never felt this before. Part of me is so happy, yet I also feel…scared?"

Raine smiled fondly at the small girl. "That is only natural Presea, I shouldn't concern yourself too much with it. Just take it one step at a time and you will both be fine."

"You speak as though you were…expecting this."

"Well," the Professor stared at the sun, now rising above the line of trees that marked Torent forest. "Like I said, I had my suspicions. Flanoir made it kind of obvious to me though."

"It did?" Presea frowned, thinking back to the snowy city. "But how could you have been so sure when I myself was not…"

"It's always easier to spot when other people are concerned." Raine answered, looking up at the sky and stretching. "My, I can't believe it's morning already."

Presea looked about the sunlit village, more and more inhabitants were now leaving their homes to go about their business. She nodded; suddenly feeling tired, and suppressed a yawn. "Yes…it will not be long now until Lloyd must face Kratos."

"Yes…"

Presea looked across at the Professor. "I…I feel that I shouldn't ask this, but…do you think he will be victorious?"

Raine paused for a second and nodded. "Yes. He has changed so much since this journey began, maturing mentally as much as he has strengthened physically. I believe he will come through today triumphant."

Presea found herself nodding as the Professor spoke. "I know. I have faith that he will not lose…but…I still find myself concerned. Even given what is at stake here today, I value his health above it. Is that…wrong?"

"Not at all." Raine rose to her feet. "Lloyd knows what is at stake here. What we need to do is give him our strength and support," she paused, "And build up our own too, let us find something to eat – I'm starving."

"You are right…" Presea got up as well, "We should be there to lend him our strength and will." Her eyes moved to accommodate the sun, which burned in the blue cloudless sky. _I know you can do it Lloyd._


	9. Release

"Presea. We need to talk."

The small girl broke her gaze away from the scene before her, of the early rays of light filtering though the forest surrounding Dirk's house, and looked round to see Regal stood behind her position. Adjusting herself so she was sat on the grassy bank more comfortably, Presea smiled brightly. "Yes…we do."

"Our journey has finally reached its conclusion." Regal's voice was soft and plain, sounding to Presea very much like hers did that night talking with Lloyd in Heimdall. She felt a shiver run up her spine as she nodded. It was true, with the defeat of Mithos and the restoration of the Khalan tree, their journey really was over. But new journeys would soon begin in its place – like the one she was going to begin with Lloyd.

She leaned back onto the ground, feeling the grass tickle her skin. "It feels…strange…that it's over."

"Yes. We've placed so much of our time and emotions into this – it _does_ feel unusual. It is after all, a time of partings too."

"That is true." Presea rolled onto her side so she was facing the blue haired man. "I had been thinking about that. I'm…I am going to miss everyone." She met Regal's gaze. "I did not really consider it as such until recently, but ever since I…well, since I joined the group…you have been like my family…my _friends_. I am going to miss that companionship."

"You'll still have Lloyd," Regal said, a small smile on his lips.

"Yes I do." Presea closed her eyes briefly. "And that fact alone makes me more happy than I thought possible. But the concept that the rest of you will be absent still makes me feel…sad."

Regal was silent for a second, staring at the trees at the base of the hill. "Even me?" He asked quietly.

The words ignited something within Presea. A long time ago it would have been hatred or frustration which would have been gnawing away inside her. Now, though, she felt sorrow, and guilt.

"Regal…I…" she paused, trying to find the right words. "…I need to apologise to you."

He shook his head, a humourless smile on his lips. "No, you don't. For what I did…" his voice had become choked. "For what I did to Alicia…and indirectly to yourself…I could only ever ask your forgiveness, and never an apology for your quite justified behaviour." He sighed, shaking his head. "I'm not even sure I _can_ ask your forgiveness."

Presea felt the familiar pain of loss return and soreness spread across her chest as she struggled to find the right words to say. Her eyes felt wet with fresh tears but, unlike others she had shed over her sister's death, these felt light of weight – as if through them she could finally find some sort of closure to the grief. She placed a hand on Regal's, and smiled despite the tears. "You don't have to ask," she said softly. "For so long I was consumed with…hatred for what you did, no matter how much I knew how justified your actions were. Then, although I could accept you were not really to blame for what happened, I still found it easier to hate you than forgive you. That was wrong of me."

"Presea…" Regal lay down, his bound hands moving to support his head as he looked up. "I still do not really forgive myself for what I have done, so I can't –"

"It doesn't matter." She joined Regal in looking up at the sky. A large cloud, looking as fluffy as wool, moved over and took the sun within its grasp. "I _do _forgive you Regal." The tears kept coming, though the pain had been lifted from her with the admission. She smiled. "I should have done so a long time ago. That is why I apologise."

Regal laughed at that, a combination of relief and emotion choking it to a gasp. "You have an enormous amount of kindness."

Presea found herself blushing at the compliment. "No…I do not, not yet. But I am learning." She looked across at Regal. "One day I will be able to live up to that statement."

"Is that Lloyd's influence?"

"Yes." Presea plucked a blade of grass from the ground and broke it in half. "I do believe he is the reason I have begun to think that way. I owe him a lot."

"I don't think you owe him that much." Regal stretched in the warm caress of the sun. "I think he has found true companionship and love in you. In that respect, he owes you as well."

Presea felt as though her smile was as bright as the sun as she looked at Regal. "It feels…nice to know that someone else thinks that way…about the love. I find myself wondering sometimes if I am just getting too…enthusiastic about the whole thing. I still find it all quite confusing. Love itself…I had never really considered it before Heimdall…you know, that night before Lloyd entered battle with his father. It's a…confusing emotion."

"I agree. It's a difficult feeling to understand."

"It is. You know, I think I had felt that way about Lloyd for some time – I just never really understood it. But to have the object of your affections admit that he feels the same way…I…well, I could relive that night over and over."

"You sound so happy, and you're smiling so often now – I am pleased for you. But Presea, I need to ask something of you."

Presea rolled onto her front, looking up the remainder of the hill at Dirk's house. "Of course, what is it?"

"I…" Regal closed his eyes, his head still facing the sky. "I think I am ready, now that it's the end of our journey, to be released from these shackles."

Presea closed her eyes for a second in thought. "I understand. That seems…fair."

"I am glad you think that way. I…I would like you to break the shackles."

Presea opened her eyes to study Regal's face. "I don't understand. Do you not have a key?"

"It's not that." Regal sat up and stretched, turning his gaze on the forest before him. "I have ways to remove the shackles, but I wanted _you_ to break the link. Humour me here Presea – I need you to split the chain that keeps these shackles together."

"Why me though? I do not understand."

"Consider it a metaphor. I need it to be you who breaks the chain. To do so means that I have truly earned your forgiveness." Regal paused, before he looked at Presea. "You do not have to honour this request – I know I don't deserve it."

"No…" Presea met his gaze. "You _do_ deserve it." She folded her arms and rested her head upon them. "I understand. This would signify the breaking of the past, and the acceptance of what has transpired. – I will honour your request. It is the least I can do for a friend." She blinked away the last of her tears. "And you _are_ my friend Regal."

He placed a bound hand on her shoulder. "That means a lot to me Presea. Thank you."

The sun had reached its zenith in the sky overhead, casting a thick layer of heat over the clearing around Dirks house. Presea studied her axe as she ran a finger down the flat side of its head, tracing the ornate carvings upon it. The last legacy of a father she had barely known.

"I'm going to let Alicia go now," she whispered. "Please take care of her, father."

Looking across from the side of the house where she had left her weapon, Presea saw Lloyd and Colette in conversation near the grave of his mother and wondered where the others were. Now that their journey was at an end, she imagined that they all had things they would want to do, new journeys they would want to begin. Presea considered this as she walked back down the hill to where Regal was waiting, and hoped that people hadn't already began to depart already.

"Are you ready to begin?" She asked on her arrival.

Regal nodded, the only sound coming from the chain joining his shackles together as he made to stand up.

"What are you going to do now?" Presea asked Regal as he placed his hands on either side of a small tree stump, the shackles chain taunt on top.

"I don't really know," he said after a pause. "Probably return to Altamira to begin with, although I was thinking of handing over the reigns and perhaps turning to something else. Like cooking."

"Cooking?" Presea blinked at the word as she lined up the blade of the axe with the chain.

"Yes, though it is just a thought at the moment – I'm not really sure yet."

"It is a fine idea. You _are_ very good at cooking after all, and you seem to enjoy it. I hope I can find something I am good at when the time comes."

Regal looked back up the hill from the outskirts of the woods they were now sat in and thought. "You are very good at carving," he suggested.

"I had not thought of that," she conceded. "It's an idea…thank you. Are you ready?"

Regal braced himself, his eyes on the sharp blade of the enormous axe. "As I will ever be."

"Do not worry," Presea gave another small smile. "I will try not to miss."

Both pairs of eyes were on the chain as Presea's axe began its descent. The blade appeared to fall slowly, as if it was cutting through the gravity of the situation on its way to the chain.

"For your crimes," she shouted as the loud clink of metal signified that the chain had been split, "I release you." Her voice had fell to a barely audible whisper at the end, and she dropped the axe from her shaking hands, her eyes welling up again. She had no idea why the earlier grief had returned now – she thought she had already dealt with it._ Alicia, I did it._ Presea looked down at Regal, who was staring at his hands, now separated from each other, his own eyes damp but shining bright.

"I _forgive_ you," she said softly, crouching down opposite him. "And you _know_ she does."

Regal returned her smiling gaze then, and nodded.


	10. When the Journey Ends

"This kind of light feels sad," I murmured to myself, looking at the light of the sun as it flooded through the window into Lloyd's room, almost white in its brightness. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lloyd straighten as he closed the last of the travelling bags lying on his bed before looking round the room.

"Do you think so? I never really thought about it before to be honest. It's pretty bright though, huh?"

"It is," I replied, "But it is also pale, and _cold_ – look." I shifted round in my chair and pointed at the opposite wall of the room. "See how everything is softened by it, how _undefined_ things become. Everything becomes so muted. Things lose their colour, and the light always seems to create an impenetrable wall of silence wherever it falls. It makes this room feel lonely."

"I think its just one of those things that can become whatever you want it to be." He came over to stand behind the chair and I felt security and warmth spread throughout my body as his arms wrapped protectively around me. "I'm sure that to other people, this light signifies _different_ emotions and feelings."

"Yes, you are probably right." I smiled and rested by head on his arm, tracing the creases of the sleeve with a finger. "And I probably need to stop analysing things so much."

Lloyd laughed at my addition. "I shouldn't worry about it. _I_ don't analyse things _enough_, so between us we should balance out, right?"

That was _such_ a Lloyd thing to say. Those kinds of comments never failed to bring a smile to my lips. I leant my head back to see his face and found myself grinning, even though my stomach turned in knots. Funny how it still does that. "If it doesn't, then we may be in trouble."

That I had actually made him laugh increased the giddy warmth flowing inside me and I closed my eyes to quell the delighted shiver that ran up my spine when he leant forward and kissed me.

"That's true. So…are we ready then?"

I stood up, looking from Lloyd's kind face towards the travelling bags on the bed, and then to the window. "Yes…I guess we are." The beginning of the new journey had been inevitable of course, but I had still found myself dreading this moment. Even though half of our former companions had already departed to various destinations, I could still at least _pretend_ to myself that our previous adventure together was still alive – that I was still safe in the arms of familiarity. I felt like I was in a cocoon of some kind, secure and warm but soon to break free from it into the uncertainty of the outside world.

"Hey." Lloyd took my hand and smiled confidently. "It'll be okay."

Obviously I must have changed to some degree, as I no longer seem to be able to hide my thoughts behind an emotionless mask. I smiled, feeling somewhat ashamed, and gave his hand a squeeze. "I know. I will be okay…because I am with you."

Lloyd returned my smile through his blush, and it gave me a sense of satisfaction that I wasn't the only who still felt embarrassed at times. A lot of the conversations we had shared since Heimdall had been permeated with an air of awkward nervousness, but I never once found them an unpleasant experience. I find myself, even now, yearning each time for those butterflies to return – like it's become some kind of craving; an addiction I find myself unable to shake. I like that idea – it fills me with such confidence that I really am myself now, that I really am as human and as alive as my friends.

A few minutes later I found myself stood on the step of the front door to Dirk's house, which seemed to me, for all the world, like a gateway to another location in space or time. Contrasting to the earlier pale rays of light, the sun was now burning low in the afternoon sky – a fiery orb in a cloudless sea of blue. A brisk wind harassed the surrounding trees, sending cascades of loose leaves into the air. I pulled my winter jacket close to dispel the breeze and smoothed out my hair. That was something else that I never used to consider doing outside of its practical value, yet I often now find myself worried about what I look like. Strange really.

"So then…you'll be off now." Dirk's gruff voice made me jump as it pierced the tranquil silence of the scene before me. I turned to find the old Dwarf walking up from Noishe's dwelling, the strange family creature in tow. He's a friendly man, but I still occasionally find him quite intimidating – especially now, given my relationship with Lloyd.

"A-affirmative, I think Lloyd is saying farewell to his, um, mother while we waited for you to return." I found myself stammering a reply, unsure that what he said was a question or a statement.

"Uh-huh." The elderly Dwarf approached the step and sat down on it as Noishe fussed around me, rubbing his head against my legs and licking my hand as I ruffled the fur on his head. Dirk exhaled as he absently stroked Noishe's hind legs. "You don't look too happy."

"I don't?" I looked down at my feet, wondering what aspect had led him to that conclusion. "No, that is incorrect – I _am_ happy…"

"But?" Dirk stole in and finished my sentence for me. I found myself shrugging – the one form of body language I used to despise for its poor communication value.

"I just imagine its going to take a little time to get used to. The absence of those I've come to think of as my family. At the moment it still seems so strange, like we should all be going on this journey…together."

"I see." I looked up at Dirk as he paused, staring at some unknown point in the sky. "I understand that your friend – Bryant, wasn't it? – returned to his former position in his company. He plans to use it to aid Lloyd and yourself in your quest. I'm not entirely sure, but I think Lloyd is planning on making that city your starting point."

I blinked, not quite sure what I was feeling. "He is?"

"Aye. I also heard that Genis and his sister are planning to travel the world over, hoping to quell the discrimination that still faces Half-elves. Colette joined young Sheena on her return to Mizuho, where they are working with Zelos to restore the ties between her people that were severed over time."

"So many new journeys have formed from the ashes of this one," I murmured, absently stroking Noishe.

The elderly Dwarf nodded. "You could see it like that I suppose. But you could also see them as extensions to the journey you seem to think has ended."

I met his gaze, feeling the frustration of confusion rise, but quelled by the mingled respect and nervousness Dirk instilled in me. "It has. That journey ended when we defeated Mithos and awoke the Great Tree."

"Not quite true. Defeating Mithos and awakening the Tree were just tasks you had to accomplish on the path you had all chosen. I do believe that was to unite a world free of discrimination and the influence of Exspheres." Dirk shifted, stroking his thick beard. "As you haven't yet achieved those tasks then I don't really think you can say that _that _particular journey is over."

Oh, I so desperately wanted to believe him then, but the nagging doubt still wouldn't go away. I let out a small sigh and sat down beside him, leaning against the frame of the open doorway.

"Maybe…but I just can't seem to think of it in the same way anymore, as we are no longer united in our goal."

Dirk laughed then, and it surprised me how such a soft sound – like the rustling of leaves – could have come from such a husky individual. "Has anyone ever told you that you analyse things too much?"

I felt my cheeks redden at his gentle chide and smiled. "…Yes, myself included. I _am_ getting better though," I added hastily, suddenly worried about not getting a negative image in the eyes of Lloyd's father.

He returned my smile. "Don't worry about it. But remember, just because you are not doing every task together does not mean that you are no longer united. It would take well over a lifetime to accomplish what you plan to do if you did what you ask. By working in smaller groups, you are all still continuing your journey, and in that sense you are all still together."

I looked up suddenly, feeling something click in place. "Ah…you are _right_! You speak the truth!" Why couldn't I see that for myself though? Was I still so wrapped up in my own fears of being alone again to see what was right in front of me? I shook my head, "I guess I've still got so much to learn."

"You'll get there. Trust me on that." Dirk patted me on the shoulder – probably heavier than he realised. "You're a good lass Presea. Honest and strong – you and Lloyd make a great pair."

I felt my blush return far too quickly at his words. "I…um, t-thank you for the compliment. That means a lot to me." I stared at my feet. "H-has he said anything about my…um, lost time? I…I mean if it concerns him regarding my…um…a-appearance."

I felt Dirk's eyes study me. "Wherever did _that_ come from?"

I wish I could have answered that myself. Every now and then I still find myself spluttering things out without even thinking them first. Usually we know of things that trouble us before we speak of them, but for some reason mine seem to skip the thinking part. I looked across at Noishe, who was sniffing around the outskirts of the clearing.

"…I don't know…it's just that, even though my Exsphere is no longer an issue and my natural processes have resumed their usual functions, I still currently look so…_young_." I placed a hand on my Exsphere. "Although inside I'm not. Lloyd never said that it mattered and so I never really considered it but – "

"I brought Lloyd up to be an honest and just person, but his morals have developed far more than _I_ could ever have taught him. If you have concerns then you should ask him, but I am positive he would have mentioned it if it were a problem. If it's any consolation, then I know _I _don't see a problem with it." He paused for a second as his reassurance sunk in, my smile returning.

"I _do_ know that he loves you deeply though. That much he has told me – and that should be enough, right?" Hearing Dirk's gruff voice speak such sentimental words sounded peculiar, but I found myself nodding.

"Again, you are correct – that _is_ all that matters. And I love Lloyd too." That earlier warmth was returning to my body as I spoke and I realised then, deep down, _how_ right Dirk was. Nothing else did matter. "Thank you."

"Hey you two, how's it going?" Lloyd had come round the house from his mother's grave, and was walking towards us, a smile on his face.

"Fine my boy, fine." Dirk was smiling as he rose to his feet. "Just taking a break from slaving over the flames of the workshop. Speaking of which, I better go and make sure that its under control – otherwise I could well find myself homeless. Be back in a couple of minutes."

I rose to my feet, watching the elderly Dwarf as he disappeared into the house. Then I ran towards Lloyd, returning his smile and, throwing myself forward, embraced him tightly.

He laughed, partly out of surprise I think. "Woah, what's _this_ in aid of?"

I rested my head against his chest. "There is no reason," I murmured softly. "I just feel really lucky to be with you. I'm going to try my best to overcome how I used to be. I'm gonna really, _really_ try."

As I spoke those last words I realised how odd they sounded – at least coming from my mouth. Thankfully Lloyd laughed before I did. "It sounds as though you're making progress already." He ran his fingers lightly through my hair, sending shivers of pleasure up my spine. "You don't need to though."

"I know, but still…I _want_ to – and there's no longer any reasons preventing me from doing so." I found myself sighing, an overwhelming feeling of contentment flooding through me.

"Okay, well – I'll help too." I felt Lloyd lean forward slightly as he kissed my head and I looked up at him.

"Thanks, that means a lot to me." I took a small step back, my hands working clumsily to find his own. In those few seconds, as we gazed upon each other, my heart felt as though it would burst and I found I just couldn't keep a smile from my face. What pleased me even more was that he wore a similar look of delight and that one moment, I could see, hear or feel nothing else – only Lloyd.

"Well," he said after a minute or two. "Looks like we are ready to leave whenever you're ready. The Rhiard is packed," he grinned at me, "Excited yet?"

I nodded, infected by his enthusiasm. "Yes! Dirk said something about going to Altamira – is that true?"

"Aw, he did?" Lloyd sighed. "Man. He ruined the surprise."

"Surprise?" I was amused by how much childish hope had crept into my voice.

"Yeah. Regal offered us his help. He said we could use his company Exsphere shipping records as a starting point to our search. It's going to take a week or two to go through them all, but you were looking kinda down earlier so I thought you'd enjoy spending more time with friends."

"Oh _Lloyd!_ That's great – thank you!" I threw my arms round him again, my voice shaking with wild joy.

"Yeah that's the _good_ news. The bad news is that he's holding a grand party in our honour tonight."

I laughed. "Hopefully it won't be _too_ formal this time."

"I think it's likely to be." Lloyd smiled. "But then again, all the others are invited too – _and_ they're attending, so I doubt it'll be too bad."

_Everyone!_ My heart soared hearing that and my eyes began to feel damp with the feeling of joy. I looked up at him, feeling a shiver run through my spine and the hairs on my nape standing on end. "Lloyd! T-that is…I…um, I…oh man, I can't _wait_." At a loss for words, I had ended up gushing into Lloyd's vocabulary – more proof if it was needed that I _am _changing. He laughed as I paused, blushing at my own comment.

"Well…_that_ was a little different to what I'm used to," he said, taking my hand. "Come on, I've got to say bye to my dad before we go."

We found Dirk outside, round the rear of the house, where the Rhiard lay. By the looks of things, he had been adding some items into the travelling bags Lloyd had already secured onto the mana-fuelled vessel.

"Hey dad, we're gonna be taking off in a few minutes, okay?"

"Right you are, my son. There's some stormy weather on the horizon by the looks of things, so take care when you're airborne."

As it always had, the laid-back ease in which Lloyd and Dirk handled their family affairs confused me. Even now, when it could be weeks before they see each other again, they were both being so _casual_ about their farewells. I had spent a short while here now, but I'd like to think I've bonded with Dirk, and didn't relish having to say goodbye.

Lloyd petted Noishe, before returning to his father and embracing him. "You and Noishe take care now, okay? We'll be back soon to visit."

Dirk nodded, "Aye. You look after yourself son." Then he turned and approached me. "That goes for you too, young lady."

"Thank you, I…um…oh, please take care of yourself." Not knowing what else to do, I realised quickly that I _hate_ farewells and embraced the Dwarf in a parting hug.

Dirk chuckled, but returned the hug, "Hey now missy, you'll make my son jealous."

"Hey, c'mon Presea – lets get going or else we're gonna be late."

"I am coming." I ruffled the fur on Noishe's head, and ran over to join Lloyd on the Rhiard. A few moments later, the vessel rose sluggishly into action and I felt my stomach lurch as we left the ground. We exchanged a few more shouted goodbyes with Dirk, and then we were off – skimming just above tree height with the cooling wind buffeting our faces. The first spots of rain soon followed the drop in temperature, and the sun soon retreated to hide its shame behind the thick clouds.

"Woah, dad was right, this sure is some pretty nasty weather, huh?" I could barely hear Lloyd's voice, even though he was shouting. I closed my eyes for a second, inhaled deeply and then released my breath as I opened them again, looking up at the bruised clouds and feeling the rain splatter on my face. I should have agreed I guess, but I felt so happy right now that it seemed as though _everything_ was perfect. The sky and clouds had combined to form a beautiful canvas of greys, blues, yellows and greens. The cool fresh rain was enchanting – sparkling as it past us on its way to the ground. The wind tore through my hair, and I reached back to pull loose my pigtails – letting the air currents dance with my tresses. It was like I was seeing everything with new eyes – fresh ones that weren't scarred or weathered by time. And all I took in seemed to feed this growing sensation within me; this rapt excitement that felt like it would consume me if I didn't find some way to expel it. So in the end, rather than agree with my love, I instead punched a fist into the air and let out a cry of wild jubilation as we went speeding towards our destination, and the resumption of our eternal journey.

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A/N: Whew...that's the end of the collection folks...for now at any rate. Apologies if there were any problems with the structure, its my first fanfic and i'm not quite used to the system yet. Hope you had fun and thanks again. :D

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	11. The Beautiful Energy

A/N: Well...I couldn't resist writing another couple of fluffy Presea and Lloyd short stories, hehe...so this is the first update, of which there will be a few more. It's my favourite pairing, and has just _so_ much more resonance than Presea and Genis. Anywho, I'm leaving the chapters in the order that I uploaded them in, but in terms of chronological order, this short story takes place between Heimdall Part 2 and Release.

* * *

Presea found herself blinking subconsciously as she prodded her reflection in the eye; the water rippling and distorting the features that stared outwards from the lake's surface. Keeping her finger immersed until a cool numbness began to spread through it into her hand, the pink haired girl sighed again, still not really knowing why she was doing so.

The boat she was draped in began to turn gently in the still waters, and Presea shifted her gaze to the rope that tethered the wooden vessel to the nearby bank. It was peaceful here – the small lake being almost entirely surrounded by a thin circle of woodland and thus affording a relative level of solitude. The sounds of birds and tree-dwelling creatures punctuated the serene silence every so often, and tiny clusters of butterflies and other assorted insects traced irregular paths over the lake's surface. Presea shifted her position so she was sat resting her back against the inside of the boat and looked drowsily up at the clear blue sky, feeling the scorching heat warm her face.

I should be happy, she thought as she closed her eyes against the brightness of the sun. No, wait…I _am_ happy, but I'm also…

She suspended her thoughts for a moment and frowned. What _was_ that feeling? Now matter how hard she tried, Presea just couldn't grasp the range of emotions that continued to run rampant through her mind. She and Lloyd were together now, and that generated a nice feeling of warmth inside of her body, but at the same time there was something about it that filled her with an intense uncertainty.

Unable to settle, Presea moved again, peering back over the side of the boat to catch sight of her reflection mirroring the unease and frustration on her face.

So young…I look so young.

That was it, wasn't it? When it came down to it, _that_ was the real cause of the insecurity. Lloyd had never said anything on the subject, but she still found the future filled with doubt and uncertainty anyway.

"Presea!"

The small girl jerked her head up to see Lloyd stood by the bank waving at her. Waving back, Presea felt heat flood to her cheeks, fuelled by something akin to guilt for having such thoughts when the young man had been nearby.

Oblivious, Lloyd ran down to the lake edge, his grin full of youthful enthusiasm. "Mind if I come aboard?"

"Of course not," Presea reached over for the oars. "I shall bring the boat over."

"Nah, it's all right." Without a moments pause, Lloyd leapt forward and dived headfirst into the water, sinking with surprising grace beneath the clear, rippling surface. Presea followed his blurred form as it moved powerfully towards the boat before the young man surfaced to swiftly complete the remainder of the journey. Presea smiled affectionately at him as he grasped the side of the boat and began treading water beside the vessel.

"I've been looking for you everywhere," he said, returning the smile. "How's it going?"

"I was contemplating…things." Presea let the word carry in the air and studied her companion at length. "You should have waited; I would have brought the boat closer. Now your clothes are wet."

Lloyd laughed and shook his head, beads of water spraying everywhere. "It's really warm today," he replied – looking up at the cloudless blue sky. "I'll dry off in no time. You should come in and have a swim."

Presea smiled faintly, but realised that whatever she was thinking must have reflected on her face as Lloyd paused to stare at her. Pulling himself up into the boat, he looked across at the pink haired girl with concern on his face.

"What's the matter?" he asked. "You've been really quiet since we got back from Derris-Kharlan. Are you still thinking about when Mithos…took you?" It was obvious from the sound of his voice that Lloyd still found disgust in what their enemy had done, and the small girl felt an overwhelming amount of affection for the young man consume her.

"I…have?" She met his gaze, wondering why she queried the statement despite knowing it was true. "No, it's not about Mithos, it's…it's nothing…do not concern yourself with it."

"Oh," Lloyd hesitated and turned to look elsewhere. "Um…have I done something wrong?"

"What?" Presea heard the alarm sound in her voice and shook her head ferociously. Of _course_ you haven't, she thought and placed what she hoped was a reassuring hand on his knee. "No…I-I'm sorry…it's just that I've been…uncertain of something." The small girl paused, frustrated that, despite being able to open her heart to the young man once already at Heimdall, she couldn't seem do so again.

Lloyd nodded and took her hands in his; they were still cool from the water and damp. "Well…we can talk about it if you want. I mean…" he coloured visibly. "…That's kinda what we're supposed to do now, right? Now that we're together."

_Together_. The word sounded delightful to Presea, giving her a small shudder of pleasure as she heard him say it. Giving his hands a quick squeeze, she felt a nervous tingle spread through her stomach as she met Lloyd's eyes "…That sounds nice. _Together_." The pink haired girl tried the word out for herself, and the warm sensation intensified – flowing unrestrained, until she caught sight of her reflection in the water again.

"Did you…really mean it?" she whispered absently; the question so quiet it seemed almost as though she was asking herself. "Did you really mean it when you said we'd grow old together? And…and that you…loved me?" It was strange, she thought, how giddy that word made her feel.

"Huh?" Lloyd's thoughtful frown belied the confusion in his voice. "O-of _course_ I meant it." His fingers entwined themselves with hers. "I don't understand, why are you asking this now?"

Presea bit her lip and looked up at the sky. "I am probably being irrational again, but…does my…my…" she frowned impatiently and waved a hand up and down her body in frustration at being unable to find the right words. "My…appearance is…"

The young man stared blankly at her, nonplussed. "Your appearance? I, uh, I don't get it."

Presea glared angrily at her reflection, irritated at her poor description. "It is going to be…problematic isn't it? I look so _young_."

"Oh…" Lloyd met her gaze and smiled. "…Yeah, but you're not, you're –"

"I _know_," snapped Presea, and then looked away, feeling guilt at her outburst. I _have_ to stop hitting out like this, she chastised herself. "Lloyd…I apologise…"

Lloyd pulled the small girl into an embrace so she was sitting between his legs, her back resting against his cool, soaked chest. "Presea…you can't help what the Exsphere did to you, you know."

"Yes, I know…" The small girl swallowed, feeling her throat tighten at the subject matter. Even now, what had happened with the Exspheres generated so much confusion and pain that she often felt too uncomfortable to talk about it. For some reason, it was only with Lloyd that she found the strength to discuss those issues, and was grateful that she could.

Lloyd wrapped his arms awkwardly round her. "Right, it's not your fault! Your body may have stopped ageing during that time, but the rest of you didn't." He paused for a second and Presea heard him suppress a chuckle. "When you think about it, you're practically an old woman!"

Presea tilted her head back to meet his gaze. "That was an attempt at humour…correct?"

"An attempt?" Lloyd sighed in mock-misery. "_I_ thought it was quite good."

The pink haired girl smiled faintly, and shifted herself up a little so she could plant a kiss on Lloyd's cheek. The action was awkward and gentle, her lips brushing softly, _nervously_, against the young man's skin. "…It really does not concern you then?"

Lloyd's face grew serious for a moment and Presea was grateful for that. She could believe his answer without any doubt if he gave it without injecting humour into the conversation.

"No," he replied, "I've never even thought about it. You may _look_ younger than you really are, but you're not, so I'm not sure that really matters. Um…that make sense?"

Presea smiled, feeling the giddy warmth that came with complete reassurance. "I think it does…"

"The important thing is that you're _you_, right? So don't worry about it." The young man stroked her hair softly. "Besides, we'll be growing old together…remember that!"

"I will…" Presea nuzzled her head under his. "…I love you."

Lloyd laughed nervously at her admission, and rested his head gently on Presea's. "Ha…I love you too, now stop it – you're making me blush."

The pink haired girl snuggled herself further into his embrace, feeling the dampness in his clothes soak through into hers. Despite that though, she still felt warm and cosy. "That was not my intent," she replied drowsily, "I just wanted to let you know…and I _like_ saying it. I do not understand what it is exactly, but I get this wonderful feeling when I'm with you. It is hard to describe, but it feels…um," she tried to find a suitable word. "Fuzzy."

"Fuzzy?" Lloyd thought for a moment. "Yeah…I guess that's a pretty good description of it."

"Yes." Presea allowed the sound of the buzzing insects nearby to fill the air for a few moments before she looked up at Lloyd again. "I…still get nervous though. Being with someone, like this, it…it is not something I am familiar with. It is difficult to know what I should be doing…or if I'm getting it right." I _want _to get it right, her thoughts added. I want to…because it's you.

"Heh, yeah, I know what you mean." Lloyd squeezed the pink haired girl close to him, and tentatively kissed the top of her head. "But I don't think you're alone there, I think it's like that for everyone – including me."

Presea made a contented noise and closed her eyes. "That is reassuring to know," she murmured, feeling drowsy with ease. A thought came to her then, through the haze of almost-sleep. "That being the case, would you…like to hold hands more?" She blushed a little; feeling embarrassed at the sudden subject change, and at Lloyd as he looked down. "Um…I mean, I just thought…it would be nice to do that when we're just, um…together. In general, I mean, in addition to when we're…like this."

"Sure we can," Lloyd replied. "If it's something you like doing then we'll do that."

"It is. I…like it because, when we're holding hands, I feel as though I belong to you. As though I'm really yours…" Presea thought about it for a few moments. "It is the nicest feeling I think I have _ever _experienced."

Lloyd nodded his head in agreement. "Heh, yeah, gotta admit that it _is_ a really nice feeling."

"Yes." Presea smiled softly to herself. "The experience is much more preferable to the one of hugging a damp person." She looked up to meet Lloyd's eyes and the smile broke into a grin. "You _are_ uncomfortable when you're wet."

"Huh, was that _your_ attempt at humour then?" It was obvious that he was feigning the sullen tone. "Well, sorry for being wet…but there's always something we can do about that."

Without warning, Lloyd grabbed the side of the boat and rocked it furiously – piling all his weight and strength behind the effort. The wooden vessel groaned as it complied with the movement, lurching sideways and capsizing – unceremoniously dumping its passengers into the cool water.

Presea let out a small squeak of shock as she entered the lake's embrace, paddling for a few moments under the water before emerging with a spluttered gasp. The surface was strangely warm compared to the rest of the body of water, no doubt heated by the intense and relentless sunshine. The small girl looked across to see Lloyd surface beside the upturned boat, smiling broadly at her.

"That was…unnecessary," she said, paddling over to his location.

"Aw, sorry but I just couldn't resist," Lloyd grinned roguishly as he flicked beads of water at Presea. "But you're wet too now – so now hugging me shouldn't be so bad."

He laughed as Presea slapped down on the water between them, spraying him with water, before sweeping his arm down through the lake's surface in response, sending the liquid cascading over the small girl. Presea found she was also giggling happily as the friendly battle intensified, feeling a light, but intense happiness come over her. Twisting and splashing about in the lake, the pair gradually found themselves floating closer together as they fought. Presea leapt forward, intent on pushing the young man into the water, but the action stopped short of that as her arms wrapped around him, and she instead found herself turning to kiss him passionately.

Lloyd returned the kiss, and the pair treaded water for a few moments – tightly embracing while their lips found each other. Opening her eyes, Presea looked up and stared contentedly at the young man before her.

_My _Lloyd, she thought happily – liking the sound of the statement. And I am _your_ Presea. Yours alone.

"I am going to enjoy growing old with you," she murmured aloud and leaned up to wrap her arms around the back of Lloyd's neck, bringing him down to rekindle their kiss.


	12. Tonight, We Walk the Stars

A/N: Early fluff-free conversation between Lloyd and Presea just after the pact forming with Volt. Within the chapters of _Don't Leave Me Behind_, this is set between Fragile Shield and The Silver Place.

* * *

Lloyd paused in the cool night air and stretched, wincing as his sore limbs protested against the painful exercise. The young man looked across the empty rolling hills before him at the Temple of Lightning, still visible despite being half a days travel behind them; a silhouette even darker than the star pocked sky above.

The battle with Volt had been intense, one of the most intense yet, and as he rubbing his aching shoulder Lloyd realised that he would still be feeling the encounter for a while longer yet. And not just him; poor Sheena had lost Corrine during the fight, and although she didn't let it show, it was obvious that the event had hurt her a lot. In fact, _everyone _had been so subdued at the campfire that Lloyd was glad he had volunteered for the first night watch – giving him a chance to clear his mind in the cool, quiet night air.

The wind had picked up a little from when his shift started, and as he made his way across the high grassy crests of the hills surrounding the camp Lloyd caught sight of a figure watching him from a little distance away. At first, given the silhouette's small stature, he thought it was Genis but as the young man approached, the moonlight revealed two long pigtails on the figure, and he realised it was Presea. That was slightly unusual.

"Hey," he called quietly as he approached. "What's up, couldn't sleep?"

"Lloyd!" Her voice was surprisingly fragile sounding in the quiet air and she studied him with an unreadable expression on her face. Lloyd was just about to begin to feel uncomfortable under her gaze when she continued. "Um, negative, I was just considering whether you required any assistance patrolling." She grasped the shaft on her axe tightly with one hand as she spoke, as if emphasising her willingness to work.

Lloyd smiled appreciatively, but shook his head. "Thanks, but it's pretty quiet," he replied, "you should go and get some sleep – it's been a hard day for all of us."

"I…see." Presea hesitated for a moment. "Then…if you do not require assistance…do you require…company?"

"Huh?" Lloyd looked across at the small girl just as a gust of wind tore through her hair, increasing the forlorn and awkward aura surrounding her. The young man smiled sympathetically, feeling a large amount of compassion for her then; after all, she had spent so long without anyone to be friends with, or to talk to.

"Sure, if you want to talk then we can do that." He laughed ruefully as he sat down on the grassy hill. "I was kind of getting tired with all this walking anyway."

A brief expression passed across Presea's features as she nodded. It looked, to Lloyd, a little like relief. "Affirmative."

She moved to sit down beside him and quietly looked up at the stars for a few moments. "Many stars."

Lloyd joined her in looking up, "Yeah…you can see loads tonight – much more than usual." He frowned, "I wonder why that is?"

Presea didn't take her eyes from the sky as she replied, but tugged absently at the grass beside her. "Weak atmospheric conditions most likely. No clouds in the sky."

"Really?" Lloyd found himself both impressed and humbled at the small girl's knowledge. "Wow, you know a lot of stuff Presea. I mean, you're younger than me yet you know so much more. Bet you'd even put Genis to shame."

He saw Presea stiffen slightly at his admission. "…Younger…yes…" she continued to look awkward and Lloyd attempted to change the subject.

"Uh…so…how are you feeling anyway? You took a few nasty hits when we fought Volt."

"My wounds were comparably minor and easily healed," she replied, before looking across at Lloyd. "Please do not concern yourself, it is nothing compared to Sheena's…loss."

"Corrine…" Lloyd thought back to the event and shook his head. "That shouldn't have happened."

Presea looked as though she was considering his words for a while, picking up her axe and resting it across her lap.

"I think…Sheena blames herself." The pink haired girl shuddered against a gust of wind and lowered her gaze to her feet. "She believes what happened was her fault."

"Yeah, but it wasn't!" Lloyd protested. "Ah, she shouldn't think like that."

"It is easy to have that opinion," replied Presea sadly, "but the feeling of blame is not easily shaken."

Lloyd closed his eyes at her words, remembering what happened at Iselia. Presea had a point there, and he felt a little better for acknowledging her statement. He didn't know if he would ever completely forgive himself for the harm he had brought to his village – nor allow himself to stop repenting for it. "Yeah…guess you're right."

Presea nodded, looking back up at the sky again. "It is like what happened to…" she paused on the word. "…Colette. That was my fault."

"No it wasn't." Lloyd felt the words emerge automatically from his mouth as he turned to face the pink haired girl, and sighed. It _was_ true in a certain sense…she _had_ been the one who had enabled Colette to be taken away – but she had had no control over her actions during that time. "You couldn't help what happened," he continued – smiling reassuringly. "It wasn't as though you wanted to do what you did – or even if you had a choice! Rodyle's the only person to blame for putting you in that situation."

"Even so, I will right my wrong and save her." Presea considered something for a moment before her gentle voice echoed quietly again in the night air. "…Lloyd, a question. Do you…hate me?"

"_What_?" The young man couldn't keep the surprise from his voice. Although her face was as unreadable as ever, her head was hanging sadly, and her hands were tightly gripping the grass on either side of her – the knuckles white with the effort.

"Of course I don't hate you," he replied passionately. "Why would I? What happened wasn't your fault! I like you Presea, and I trust you." He wanted to make some kind of reassuring contact with her, a pat on the shoulder or something but something about the pink haired girl made him wonder if it would help enforce what he was saying. For someone quite young, she seemed emotionally cold at times.

A ghost of a sad smile hovered about Presea's lips and she turned to look at Lloyd. ". I don't know if _I_ could forgive someone who took away a person I cared about. Your admission is confusing…but, if you truly mean what you said…then you are a remarkable person."

Lloyd blushed a little at the remark and absently plucked tiny flowers from the grass. "Ah…I don't know about that."

"No…you are." Presea brushed a hand through her hair. "Despite what I've done…not only do you not hate me for it…but also you helped save me." Her hand brushed across the makeshift Keycrest Lloyd had made for her out of inhibitor ore and hovered over it as she closed her eyes. "I do not think I deserve your kindness, but I am so very grateful for it."

"Ah…" Lloyd's embarrassed laugh echoed in the silent air. "You don't need to be. I wouldn't have dreamt about leaving you the way you were."

"That may be the case, but do not think I will forget it." Presea smiled again, this one slightly warmer. "And I will work hard to earn the faith you have placed in me too."

"Um…you don't…um…" Lloyd struggled for a reply, finding nothing he could say for embarrassment. If she realised it then Presea didn't acknowledge it. Rising to her feet with a strange determination about her, she inclined her head slightly.

"I…thank you Lloyd," she said – one hand working to keep her hair down against the breeze while the other grasped her oversized axe. "I have…_enjoyed_ talking with you tonight. Are you returning to the camp?"

Lloyd looked back up at the sky, and shook his head. "Not just yet," he replied. "Maybe in a little while. You go back though if you want, get some rest."

"A-affirmative." Presea lingered just a moment longer, staring at the young man. "If you require patrol assistance or…someone to talk to in the future…please, do not hesitate to ask."

The young man smiled. "Okay, thanks, you too!" He watched the small girl descend down the hill and enter her tent before rising to his feet with a sigh. The conversation had been a welcome diversion from patrolling but now it was time to return to work – although he attended it with a slighter lighter heart than before.


	13. Doctor's Orders

A/N: Really considered posting this one as a standalone short as I'll have to increase the rating of this set of stories to M to accommodate it. That given, it's still all about Lloyd and Presea so I guess it belongs here. Frisky fluff that _does_ contain adult sexual scenes (the mildness of which I shall leave for readers to judge for themselves), but they are _not_ sex scenes, they are _love_ scenes and there is a difference. If it's not your thing then have a browse at the other chapters in this collection instead, as this story will probably be the only one in it with the aforementioned content. Ahem, Disclaimer over. This is set sometime after _When the Journey Ends_

* * *

The sound of Lloyd dousing the campfire outside the tent with water caused an involuntary shudder to pass through Presea, and she instinctively rolled herself further into the embrace of the sleeping bag and blankets to ward away the night chill coming from the open flaps. Her teeth chattered relentlessly as a result of whatever mild ailment she had caught from the cold weather and her limbs trembled with every small movement. As the fire died away, fizzling in protest, Presea listened to the various sounds of nocturnal animals outside and shuddered again. Outside it was night; dark; dangerous. But within the confines of the tent it was lit and safe and protective. That was it felt to Presea.

The sound of movement caught her attention and, a few moments later, Lloyd climbed into the spacious tent – fastening the flaps shut behind him.

"That's the fire out," he announced, removing his outer clothing and trying to stifle a yawn. "How are you feeling?"

"Body temperature; significantly lower than usual," the pink haired girl felt her teeth chatter as she replied, and drew the warm blankets closer around her. "There is a high probability that I have contracted a malady of some description; most likely a cold."

Lloyd laughed softly as he removed the rest of his clothing down to his underwear, and climbed under the blankets beside Presea. "I _said _you should have put on a coat before going out in the snow. Come here."

Presea felt his arms wrap around her, and shuddered a little as the contact pressed the cool material of her nightgown against her skin. Nevertheless, his arms felt pleasantly reassuring and the pink haired girl made a contented sound in her throat as she rolled closer in his embrace.

"That sounds like something I would normally say to you," she replied, threading her own arms under his so that they were wrapped around his waist.

"Yeah, but I would have listened."

Presea smiled and rested her head against Lloyd's chest. "The odds of _that_ happening are…" she paused for a moment. "…Is it possible to go _below_ zero?"

"Hey!" Lloyd grabbed a small, puffed pillow and tapped it gently against Presea's head, causing the small girl to giggle. "Are you sure you don't need to see a doctor?"

"No," Presea took one of the young man's hands in her own, bringing it up to her lips to kiss it. " I think that would be an unnecessary and wasteful expenditure of time. It is only a minor affliction."

"Yeah, I know." Lloyd ran a finger down the pink hired girl's chin and neck, pausing to lightly trace over the design of her Exsphere. She shuddered at that; for some reason contact there made for the most wonderful sensations. "But I was just thinking, if you went to the doctors then I'd get a little peace at night – you snore really bad when you get a cold!"

"Ah!" Feigning mock outrage at his comment, she returned his earlier gesture and struck him gently with a nearby pillow. "Be nice, or I will do my best to pass it on to you."

Lloyd returned the delighted smile and rested his forehead against hers. "Really? How'd you plan on doing that?"

She grinned. "I had high hopes that you would ask that." Pulling the young man closer, she kissed him passionately, moving her hands to run through his delightfully soft hair and down the back of his neck. Lloyd made a sigh of pleasure at the contact that sounded adorable to Presea. I'm glad I make you happy Lloyd, she thought, as he slid his hands up her body to caress her cheeks.

Presea pulled back for a second to study the young man beside her, staring at him with eyes half-closed through pleasure. "There is approximately a 55 chance that you have now contracted my cold," she announced.

Lloyd pulled her gently closer, and turned her so that her back was pressed against his chest. "It was worth it," he replied, running a hand through her silky, pink hair. Presea shuddered at the wonderful sensation it generated within her, and grabbed the young man's free hand, trailing it lightly across her waist. Beside him now, and under the warm protection of the blankets and open sleeping bags, the idea of feeling cold suddenly seemed very strange and distant.

Rolling over to face the young man, Presea ran a hand up Lloyd's bare chest, feeling, even now, her cheeks flush at the intimate contact. Her other hand moved up to join the first and Presea allowed them to roam about his body, exploring his chest, torso and back in the dim light of the tent.

Making contented noises that matched her own; Lloyd shifted position slightly, and brought his hands up along her waist and under her nightgown, caressing her body. Presea surprised herself by releasing a very passionate, feral, growl and clutched Lloyd tightly to her, bringing her mouth up to meet his again.

"Lloyd, I…" she found that flush to her cheeks had only increased with the uninterrupted intimate contact and paused briefly to kiss the young man again – finding it amazing how wonderfully nervous she could still feel with him. Through the giddy dizziness in her head, however, the pink haired girl knew what she desired. Wrapping her arms around the back of Lloyd's neck, Presea rested her forehead against his, her demanding voice barley more than a whisper.

"…I want you."

Lloyd laughed, the sound a combination of acknowledgement and nervousness, and the shy smile that lit up his face sent a shiver of exhilaration up Presea's spine.

"This is just a sneaky way of making absolutely sure I get your cold, isn't it?"

"Affirmative," Presea felt a tiny giggle, excited and youthful, escape as she replied, "That, and helping me increase my internal temperature."

"Haha, cheeky! Well, if it's Doctors orders…" Lloyd's mouth found hers in the dim light and as the embrace intensified Presea rolled across to lie on top of the young man. The movement triggered a burst of intense, fiery passion and the pair began to furiously help each other out of their nightclothes and underwear in between moments of lengthy kisses. Slipping across so she was beside the young man again, Presea moved her mouth to shower him with even more kisses – on his cheeks, his neck, his chest. Lloyd's skin was soft, yet firm, and she enjoyed the sensation of it on her lips as they brushed over it time and time again. Her hands remained where they fell, clutching his waist and pulling Lloyd to her. The young man responded with equal desire, shifting to adorn Presea's body with kisses and caresses – each one causing her to shudder with pleasure. Oh Lloyd, she thought, I want you – oh! I love you so much! Make love to me!

They did, and for a while the temperature within the tent increased significantly as the pair expressed their love and devotion between the blankets and sleeping bags dotted around the tent. With the exception of closing them when they kissed, Presea kept her eyes on Lloyd's – neither of them wanting to break the captivating bond they shared in the gaze.

A further few minutes passed before Presea joined Lloyd in emitting a low moan of pleasure as they finished, and she slumped down across his chest, exhausted and happy.

"Feeling less cold?" He asked, still wearing the same contented and shy smile from before.

"Mmm, affirmative." Presea looked down into his eyes, feeling as though she was going to melt in the young man's arms. "I love you."

"Heh, I love you too!" Lloyd stroked her hair as Presea lowered her head onto his chest, nestling under the young man's chin. She nuzzled up close, making small noises of pleasure.

"…Although the odds of you catching my cold has now increased to 100."

She laughed as Lloyd swung a pillow at her again, and rolled off to lie beside him once more. Pulling the blankets up over them, Presea moved across back into the young man's waiting embrace.

"I am staying like this tonight," she whispered. "And I'm staying in your arms."

"Sounds good to me," replied Lloyd, kissing the back of her neck and causing the pink haired girl to shudder happily. "I'll make sure you keep warm. Doctors orders, right?"

"Affirmative. Thank you." Her gratitude had been intended for Lloyd's actions tonight but as she said it, she realised that it encompassed so much more. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for letting me be with you. To grow old with you.

Allowing a small smile to cross her lips, Presea nestled close for the night and closed her eyes, making an addition to her earlier statement. "Thank you for tonight Lloyd, and for everything. I shall return the favour _when_ your cold breaks out."


	14. Two Stars, Neither Filled

A/N: Just a random little short I wrote while bored in lectures. Presea _never_ succeeds in cooking when I play the game…

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"This was an ill-thought out idea," muttered Presea to herself as she gazed at the bubbling pot on the stove before her. The meat stew returned her stare defiantly; the impossibly thick substance bubbling around the wooden spoon that had become stuck fast within.

Taking a quick peek out from the kitchen, the pink haired girl checked to make sure everyone in the lounge was still preoccupied from dressing the wounds inflicted on them from the latest battle. Closing the door with a sigh, Presea returned to the work surface beside the stove, confused. The purpose of cooking post-battle was to recover strength, and she had included about a dozen gels to intensify the healing properties of the meal, but for some reason the additions had only served to thicken the stew to the point of being inedible. She had wondered at the time whether it was a good idea or not, but everybody else seemed to embellish their dishes with other items, and it _did_ seem a practical use of the gels.

Putting every ounce of strength into the effort, Presea finally pulled the spoon from the pot. Unfortunately the stew had decided that it, too, would rather leave the pot than relinquish the spoon and now wobbled on the end of the wooden implement like a giant grotesque lollipop.

"Presea, do you need –"

The kitchen door had opened, and Genis was stood in the doorway, his eyes wide open in amazement.

" – uh, a hand?"

Presea looked from the meat stew lollipop at the half-elf and shrugged. "Perhaps I can turn the meal into some kind of dessert."

Genis stared blankly at the grotesque substance. "That's a…meal?"

Presea frowned. "Affirmative," she replied defensively. "I was focusing on the healing properties…"

The young half-elf flustered visibly. "Ah, oh…I didn't mean to…I mean, that's a _great_ idea Presea – using the gels and a-all. You're r-really clever!"

Presea looked up at the stew. "Negative. It was an ineffective idea. The food has been rendered inedible and our supply of gels has been reduced needlessly. Recommencing task." Tossing the viscous creation to one side, the pink haired girl searched the cupboards for more ingredients.

"How were the rice balls?" she asked after a moment's pause.

"Ah…um…w-well, they were really nice Presea." Genis seemed to be trying to avoid her gaze, but before Presea could question him further Lloyd burst excitedly into the room.

"Genis, you gotta see this!" he cried, and dragged the half-elf out. After a few moments, a collection of muffled voices could be heard from the other room.

"What, he broke a _tooth_?"

"Yeah, and then dropped the thing and it went straight through the floor!"

"Outstanding density – why these even seem tougher than polycarbonate!"

"Mmph! My poor beautiful smile will never be the same again."

The voices quietened to a hushed conference of whispers, before Genis re-entered the kitchen, looking awkward.

"Uh…um, Presea? The o-others wanted to know…well, um, what did you, um, _put_ in those rice balls?"

Presea sighed and removed her apron, crossing the room to thrust it at the half-elf. "I am retiring from the kitchen," she announced moodily. "I leave the preparation of food in your hands."

"W-wait Presea…I was only…" Genis watched her leave and sighed. "_Stupid _Lloyd, why did _I_ have to ask?"

_Presea failed to make Meat Stew_

_Presea failed to make Rice Balls_


	15. Cos I'm in Love With You

A/N: Another chapter of slightly frisky fluff. I don't think I'll ever get bored of writing stuff like this, it cheers me up so much! hehe. Chronologically set before or after _Doctor's Orders_ within this collection of fics. Lazy days are the best!

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Presea crept as silently as she could into the bedroom, although it was a difficult task opening the door whilst balancing the large tray she carried. The numerous plates and glasses on the tray clattered noisily together as she set it down on the bedside table next to where Lloyd was sleeping, and the young man stirred slightly at the sound. Presea found herself smiling fondly at the young man before she caught sight of her reflection in a nearby mirror and sighed. Despite wearing an apron, she had managed to stain her clothes from the numerous breakfast meals she had prepared, and somehow little blobs of porridge oats and fruit preserve had become stuck in her hair. She looked back at Lloyd and felt those delightful butterflies she had come to cherish return. No matter how long she had been up to prepare breakfast for him, or how much effort had been required, it was worth it, and she knew it always would be.

The early morning light spilled through the closed curtains, bathing the room in a warm orange light as Presea sat down on the edge of the bed beside Lloyd and watched him sleep for a few more minutes.

I am so very much in love with you, she thought, placing a hand on one of his blanket-covered legs. The giddy warmth intensified within her, and suddenly the minor contact became insufficient. Presea climbed round Lloyd to lie down beside him and wrapped her arms gently around the young man.

Lloyd seemed to respond automatically at that, rolling over in her arms, despite still being asleep, and wrapping his own around her. Presea made a small sound of contentment and nestled herself closer into his warm, safe, _loving_ embrace. She gazed peacefully at his face and leaned her head forward to kiss his cheek.

"Lloyd," she whispered. "Lloyd, my love. It is time to wake up."

The young man made a protesting noise but slowly opened his eyes, squinting against the light as he did so. On seeing Presea his face lit up and he smiled warmly.

"Mm, morning," he mumbled.

"Good morning." Presea's hands slid down to rest around Lloyd's waist as she leaned forward to kiss him. "Have you rested sufficiently?"

"Yeah," Lloyd never lost his smile, and Presea found she couldn't take her eyes off it. "Did you?"

"Affirmative," replied Presea, but she was then forced to stifle a yawn. Lloyd laughed as she did so and brought a hand down to intertwine it with one of her own. Presea shuddered with pleasure at the contact, and squeezed his hand tight.

"Doesn't look as though you have," he observed. "And what's all that in your hair?"

"Food," Presea replied, then decided it was best to explain further. She nodded at the tray resting on the table behind Lloyd. "I…prepared breakfast for you."

"Huh?" Lloyd leaned over to look behind himself and laughed in embarrassment. "Aw, you didn't have to do that."

Presea tried to pull some of the preserve from her hair but the majority of it was stuck fast. "I wanted to," she murmured, feeling a little embarrassed herself. She still had some way to go before she would become good at cooking, but hoped that what she had prepared was sufficient. "I am still not proficient in the kitchen, but I wanted to do something for you."

Lloyd returned his gaze to Presea and kissed her forehead. "Heh, why's that?"

Presea brought up a hand to play with Lloyd's hair, rolling tiny lengths of it between her fingers. "Because…because I'm in love with you." The reason seemed to roll off her tongue naturally, and as she thought about it Presea nodded. Yes, that was probably the truest explanation and the more she thought about it, the more she liked it.

Lloyd smiled gently, although the blush on his cheeks was plain to see. "I'm in love with you too," he replied, then grinned. "But does that mean I have to make _you_ breakfast too?"

Presea laughed and grabbed a pillow to tap lightly against his head. "Affirmative," she replied. "And you should eat yours before its temperature drops and renders it inedible."

"Heh yeah." Lloyd rolled over to sit up, and looked across at the tray. "There's so much here," he laughed.

"Yes…" Presea looked across at the selection of toasts, porridge, cereal and cooked breakfast. "I…did not know what your preference would be," she said. "So I thought it more efficient to attempt all manner of traditional breakfast meals."

"Whoa…" Lloyd studied the tray again and smiled. "This must have taken you ages."

"It reduced the hours reserved for sleeping by approximately thirty per cent." Presea sat herself up and grinned. "But I will recover that time tomorrow when _you _make _me _breakfast!"

Lloyd laughed. "Ah, I knew there was a catch in there somewhere." He smiled the contented, sleepy smile that Presea adored and pulled the pink haired girl close to him. "You know, I'm really, _really_ lucky."

Presea felt a low growl of pleasure escape from her lips as she shifted position to straddle Lloyd's lap. "Not as lucky as me," she replied, resting her forehead against his. "I…enjoy waking up next to you, Lloyd – do not laugh!" she added, on seeing the smile on his face. She lowered her head to kiss him. "Sometimes…I do not even have to open my eyes. I can just feel you there beside me, or your arms around me, and it's wonderful. I feel that I could lie there all day with you, like nothing else matters."

Lloyd wrapped his arms around Presea's waist and nodded. "Me too, you're really nice to snuggle up to, you know?"

Presea mock-frowned. "You are likening me to a pillow?"

The young man brought a hand up to trace over the shape of her Exsphere and smiled. "Oh no, you're _much_ nicer than a pillow. Besides, pillows don't return your hugs."

"Mmm, that is true." Presea leaned forward to wrap her arms around the back of Lloyd's neck and kissed him passionately. "I recommend we spend the day here," she murmured happily.

Lloyd slid the fingers of a hand through her long hair and nodded his approval of the idea. "I've got no complaints with that," he replied. "We could have a real lazy day."

"Affirmative," Presea reached across to pluck a piece of toast from the tray and held it out for Lloyd to take a bite. "Then, you should eat as much as possible to build up your strength."

Lloyd frowned as he chewed and swallowed the piece of toast. "Build up my strength for what? I thought we were having a lazy day?"

Presea smiled almost shyly and traced a snaking pattern down Lloyd's chest. "Yes…but sometimes lazy days can prove to be exhausting."


	16. Wasting Time With You

A/N: Well…I really didn't expect to find myself adding any more fics to this collection, but I guess you can't tell your muse what to do – regardless of how much coffee and biscuits you feed her. In defiance of a cold autumn, here's Lloyd and Presea enjoying a lazy spring day. Hope you enjoy!

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Almost as soon as the last snow of winter had melted, spring exploded across the land; passing through veins under the earth and leaving blossoming life in its wake. The empty sky, bright blue with the sun's undivided attention, allowed a glorious warmth to descend with the afternoon, and the occasional gentle breeze was heavy with the sweet smell of pollen. 

Presea gazed around her in wonder as she settled amongst the short grass near the river, putting down the basket full of the fruit she and Lloyd had spent the morning picking. It was a truly beautiful location; long columns of trees and bushes, rich with their first harvest of spring, decorated both

sides of the river, hugging its gentle curve, and the sounds of birds and other animals carried lazily across the air. Removing her boots, Presea shifted a little closer so her legs could hang over the bank into the warm, refreshing water, and plucked a knife and small piece of wood from the basket.

She turned the wood over in her hands for a few moments, admiring how the partly carved contours and natural grooves shimmered silver with the sunlight. Soon the it would be an Iselian Marsh Falcon. Ever since Lloyd had pointed one out to her near the town Presea had become fascinated by the bird and the legend surrounding it. They were quite rare and apparently, according to Iselian folklore, seeing one brought the witness a week of good luck, and Presea hoped that – by making a charm of one – some of that luck would be transferred to owner of the wooden replica. She had only started carving four days ago, but progress had been good and she guessed that it would only take a few more until it was complete.

A splash of water nearby indicated that Lloyd had resurfaced, and Presea looked up with a smile to watch the young man swim towards her location.

"Man, this is great," he laughed happily, and flicked a few beads of water at Presea. "You sure you don't wanna come in for a swim?"

"Negative." Presea inclined her head towards the wood sat in her lap. "I shall never complete this if you keep distracting me with such pleasant sounding offers."

Lloyd grinned and pulled himself onto the bank. "Ah well, you've always got tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, or even the day after _that_ if you wanted. There's no deadline with these sorts of things."

Presea laughed. "That is why the handmade gifts you make are always late," she pointed out, gazing across at Lloyd. Like the sun that shimmered silver on the wood, the droplets of water glistened beautifully on his toned body. As he sat down beside her, the young man realised he was being watched.

"What's up?" he asked.

Presea met his gaze and smiled demurely. "Nothing; I was admiring how attractive your body is."

Lloyd blushed visibly. "Hey, you can't go saying stuff like that without warning," he cried. "You'll make me embarrassed."

Presea laughed, happy that there were things she could now say without blushing, but which caused Lloyd to do so. "It was a compliment, please take it as such."

Lloyd was silent for a moment, and then he smiled. "Well, I'll have to return the compliment at some point," he replied, leaning across to kiss her. "Maybe later when we get back to – "

Presea slapped him gently on the arm, feeling her face glow. In the end, Lloyd always won when it came to making the other embarrassed. The young man laughed at her ashen expression and looked down at the wood.

"Hey cool, you still working on that? What's it gonna be?"

Presea looked across and flicked him gently on the nose. "Be patient love. You will find out when it's finished." She planned to give the charm to Lloyd once it was completed, so she didn't want to spoil it by telling him what it was.

Lloyd smiled at the rebuke. "All right, all right," he said, lying down and resting his head on Presea's lap. "Wish I had remembered to bring mine."

"Yes. I am looking forward to seeing it when it is completed. _If _it ever is," she added with a laugh.

Lloyd stuck his tongue out at her. "It'll be done soon ma'am," he replied. "Y'know, when you think about it, it's quite cool that we've got things like this in common – the carving and stuff."

Presea nodded as she shaved a thin sliver of wood away with her knife. She had often thought about that, and it warmed her to know that Lloyd did as well. "Affirmative," she replied, "It is like we are" –

she sought out the right words – "_friends_, as well as lovers."

"Yeah, that's a really cool way of putting it." Lloyd looked up at her and smiled. It was such a gentle and beautiful smile that Presea felt an incredible yearning to embrace the young man tightly and not let go. She put aside the knife for a moment so she could stroke his brow with her hand. The action was brief, but – like many of them – it's meaning was clear. _I love you_, it said.

Lloyd lay silently for a moment, looking up at the sky. "These days are the best," he said eventually. "We've done absolutely nothing today, but it feels like we've done everything."

Presea resumed her carving. "I know what you mean. The nature of spring has allowed us to spend so much time in this manner. This morning when I woke I actually had to remember what day it was."

Lloyd closed his eyes. "Yeah," he agreed sleepily. "Wasting time is much better when you're doing it with someone else. Especially when that someone's you," he added, nestling his head more comfortably into her lap.

Presea smiled at his words, and plucked a stray shaving of wood from his hair. "Days spent with you are never wasted," she replied contentedly.

* * *

A/N: Cheers for reading. Incidentally, I've a few more ficcies planned for this collection, so check back once in a while, 'k? 


	17. Travelling in a Safe Direction

A/N: So, hands up who thought this was an update that would never arrive?? :-)

Was feeling creative so this chappie is in a slightly different PoV format than usual. This one is set after _Wasting Time With You_.

* * *

The item in my hand is light; fragile; precious. The feelings it arouses within me when I hold it is a curious combination; borne of love and fear. My hand lightly brushes past it a great many times during each day, and on every single one of those occasions I feel the warmth, the love and the security that Lloyd and I imbued within its construction to such an extent, that I want to squeeze it tightly within my hand and never release it. However, I am almost always scared to in case the strength of my affection breaks the delicate wood in two. If so much of what Lloyd and I are, and always will be, has gone into its making, then what does it mean if such an object breaks? Does it mean that our love is not strong enough to resist the stresses caused by affection? Or would such an occurrence become symbolic at some point in the future? Both ideas send terrible shivers through my body and I always respond in the same manner – by tucking the necklace gently back under my clothing and searching for reassurance in the light tickle of its design on my skin.

It is happening again as I speak. My fingers shy away from the gentle curves of the Ozette Hares dancing around the main fascia of the necklace, and I slowly lower the item.

This time, Lloyd is with me and he smiles at my actions; telling me that I am being silly and that it does not matter if it breaks. It can be repaired.

I return his smile. I know that he does not really think that I am being illogical, for Lloyd understand me more than anyone else I am familiar with. I tell him, honestly, that I know broken things can be repaired, but rarely do they retain their initial strength following the experience. I tell him that I do not want something representative of our love to weaken in such a way, and it amazes me how my voice thickens with emotion as I explain myself.

Lloyd pauses, looking first at his own necklace before meeting my gaze and taking my hands in his. Heat blossoms from his fingertips and up my arms, using my necklace as a guiding light to warm my heart and quicken my pulse. The surrounding countryside, through lit by intense summer daylight, fades away as I surrender myself to his gaze.

Oh Lloyd, I could stare into your eyes forever.

He tells me he understands how I feel. He looks again at his own necklace and continues speaking; another point of view that could only ever come from him. Lloyd tells me that he feels that, in life, people that are committed to staying together often would like it to be true that their lives remain peaceful and free from trouble. He continues, saying that this is rarely the case in life, and that those in love sometimes find life chipping away at them; that things happen which test the power of their love – not just for each other, but of life in general. I think back to my time under the influence of the Exsphere and can readily believe it.

Lloyd entwines his fingers with mine as he continues to talk. He says that, how he sees it, if one of our necklaces became damaged then it would not just be a case of repairing it to how it was before – our initial love, but weaker – but a chance to show how our love has evolved and grown by trying new techniques and styles, creating new necklaces or changing existing ones.

He laughs nervously then, and I cock my head as I consider why. He looks at me, the love he just spoke of shimmering in his eyes, and leans to place the softest kiss upon my forehead. I guess, he says, that sounded just as silly.

I smile and take out my necklace. Perhaps Lloyd is right. Perhaps I should not consider this a symbol of our love eternal, but more as a static piece of how that love exists at present.

I smile. The more I consider it, the more my earlier fear relinquishes its hold. Our love will always grow, whatever life may attempt to chip away at.

I move in close, so that I can whisper into his ear.

Negative, I say.

I like silly.

* * *

A/N: There we go. Have no idea when the next update will come - but surprises are always nice, right??


	18. Unrequited

AN: Again, another practice with a different writing style.

Was thinking when I was going through this fic that, at some point, Genis would have to find out about Lloyd and Presea. This is set in the aftermath of such a discovery, and how Presea feels lost in dealing with it.

As such, this is set between _Heimdall Part Two _and _Release_.

* * *

The space between those minutes served as a brutal reminder of how she had lived under the influence of her Exsphere.

Rendered lost.

Mute.

The cacophany of thoughts and feelings; determined but fleeting, and just out of her shaky grasp.

_What am I supposed to say now?_

Genis was staring at her; his eyes were still glistening but had now managed to muster a degree of immature challenge; the words only seconds ago spoken through pale lips, but seeming as through they had been in existence much longer. Presea gazed at the half-elf straddling the branch above her, torn between the absolute relief of finding him and the terrible fear of discussing concepts she had barely begun to understand herself.

His lips moved again, but the sound was like the coastal wind on a tempestuous day - lost amidst the waves smashing themselves against the rocks. A further moment passed and Presea realised how much she felt like those waves right now.

She looked from Genis to the darkening sky, barely visible through the canopy of the trees.

The clouds pregnant with rain.

The static crackle in the air.

_A storm on the horizon_.

Another prophetic metaphor she did not need to be considering right now.

He was waiting for her response; she knew that much. But she couldn't undo the decay of all the things he had imagined would be. Some small part of her then wished for the return to her Exsphere state. Unable to recognise her feelings.

Oblivious to his.

But she was aware now. And she could feel every heart wrenching sensation of it. If this had been her story; if her love for Lloyd had gone unrequited - If, despite her feelings, she could _never_ be with him then...

The first tiny drops of rain began to fall. Shimmering trails running down the leaves.

The branches.

Her cheeks.

_All I can say._

She licked her lips, only then realising how dry they were, and hoped the words would come.

_Genis. I wanted to say_…

"I'm sorry."

* * *

All done *dusts hands*

Spacing was all important for this fic, and the upload has gone and ruined it. Grr!!!

You never know, this may make it to 20 fics :-) Due to some critical problems with the story for _All of Tomorrow's Horizons_ I will probably use some of the set pieces for this (e.g. homecomings, weddings, etc). Watch this space...


	19. Domestic Goddess?

A/N: Well, some things may never change...

Set between _When the Journey Ends _and _Cos I'm in Love With You_

* * *

The crash pierced through his early morning slumber; the half formed dream dissolving amongst the subsequent cacophony. His youthful mind, honed after years of relentless adventuring, snapped into action and he sat upright; ready for the imminent threat.

The thick noxious smoke creeping under the bedroom door was not imminent, but Lloyd recognised it instantly as a threat. An unconventional one maybe; a threat that did not consist of thrusting swords or powerful incantations, nor the power and fury of a national disaster, but a dire threat nevertheless. He knew that, rather than a combination of his numerous skills, this particular threat would require just the one.

And with that Lloyd sagged, for he knew effective lying was the weakest of his skills.

Creeping to the door, the young man took the handle and - _slowly_ - opened it. The door creaked gently in protest, as if aware of his plan, and Lloyd winced. For this particular threat assessment, stealth was mandatory.

Outside in the hallway the thick smoke led the way, like a nebulous guide, downstairs to where the threat was forming.

Moving softly down the stairs, Lloyd followed the smoky trail to the door of the kitchen and braced himself as he pushed it open to get a better look at his adversary. His worst fears were confirmed as an explosion of scents assaulted his nose.

The threat was more powerful than he had anticipated.

Presea stood in the kitchen with her back to the door, in the process of moving a pan from the stove. It was from this pan that the thick smoke was emerging, although countless other pots, pans, plates and bowls contained substances of unknown origin, and at least half of these seemed to be emitting similar wispy tendrils and fumes. The kitchen itself looked as though a small war had recently been fought within its walls - a war where food had been the primary weapon of choice...

...and, by the looks of it, where Presea had been the primary target.

His eyes moved to the plate to which she was transferring the contents of the pan.

A surprise breakfast. With the emphasis on 'surprise'.

Lloyd quickly cast his eyes over the various ingredients, hoping to be able to work out what exactly she was making. Then, resigned to his fate, he crept back upstairs to await the inevitable.

* * *

Presea gained a new title.

**Title: **Domestic Goddess

**Description: **Her small form belies great determination. But someone should tell her - practice doesn't always make perfect...

**Stat Bonus:** DEF, EVA (in others)

* * *

I am quite enjoying having fun experimenting with this fic atm. I only have 2 more ideas planned now. The Meltokio ball scene from the game, and the wedding day. Those of you that are still reading and reviewing - if you have any scenes/scenarios you would like to see on here, then drop me a line or mention in the reviews. I'm open to requests. Until then...


End file.
